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Daroon


Turning to Kar Em, Faraway said grimly, “OK Kar, let’s go see if we can get that appointment with the Exarch”

Kar Em looked at Faraway Lad with a new respect, “OK Far” he replied, “You know I had no idea you were that powerful or could do that” he continued.

“Neither did I” said Faraway, “Guess you never know what you will do if you are pushed hard enough”

Leaning on Kar Em’s arm for support Far and the few remaining Daxamites started to walk across the dusty courtyard towards the Exarchs ship

Half way across the Ground started to shake violently.

Looking down Kar Em shouted, “More Bugs”

As he did so the ground erupted as more of the burrowing bugs burst through followed as always by more soldiers and more of the scorpions, yet they did not attack immediately they seemed to be waiting for something. Then a noise at the back of the factory caused Far to turn around. Large Beetle like bugs had appeared there. Turning so that their backs pointed up at the Sky these bugs abdomens pulsated, and a red plasma bolt fired high up into the sky.

“Ha” said Laurel Kor “they are pretty poor shots those things will never hit us like that”

“I’m not sure they were trying to hit us” say Kar in a puzzled voice.

“Keep heading for the ship and hurry” said Far

“Why aren’t the bugs attacking Far” asked Kar, “do you think it’s that Princess again holding them back”.

“I don’t think so Kar” replied Far, “but whatever is planned you can bet it’s not going to be nice”

As he said that high overhead a boom was heard followed in quick succession by others.

“Kar?” asked Faraway

“Not sure Faraway “said Kar Em slowly looking up, “it looks like those plasma bolts are exploding and spreading in the low atmosphere, they...........oh no!”

Looking upwards Faraway saw the blue sky of Daroon turning a deep dark blood red.

Grasping Kars arm tightly, “Kar” said Faraway “Does that mean what I think it does”

“Red sunlight” said Kar Em almost in a daze, “they’ve found a way to turn it into red sunlight” All of the Daxamites were looking up at the sky, the surrounding bugs for the moment forgotten.

Already Kar Em could feel his body’s powers fading, quickly far too quickly, he could feel himself turning into a ‘normal’ man.

“Quick” shouted Far, pushing Kar Em in front of him, “the ship, run for the ship, get inside”

As soon as he voice was heard the spell was broken. As they sprang forward running for the space shuttle, the bugs also sprang forward to the attack.

Desperately Faraway fought back, but he was so weakened he was struggling to do more that clear a path to the shuttle. As he and Kar reached the shelter of the shuttle they turned, Far sent bugs faraway, Kar fried Bugs, but already his powers were fading. As they watched, the bugs overwhelmed the following Daxamites. Mantoids caught at them, many bugs fell destroyed as the Daxamites fought on with a strength driven by desperation. But many more took their place, and as each Daxamite tired, as they were caught and held, a scorpion scuttled forward and thrust its stinger into the now vulnerable skin.

Soon there was only one left standing and fighting.

“Laurel” called Kar, “over here, come on girl, run to us”

Still fighting, Laurel looked over, “You two go on, get into the ship I’ll follow”

Faraway turned to Kar “I have the door open Kar, come on”

“No” said Kar Em, “I can’t leave her”

Overhearing Kar, Laurel turned “Get inside you fools” she shouted. But she had turned away from the bugs and in that few seconds a scorpion had scuttled forward and stabbed into her as she was held on its sting, bugs swarmed all over her and she was lost to sight.

Pulling his friend into the Shuttle, Faraway quickly closed the door.

“I’m sorry Kar. But we will honour them later, now let’s do what their sacrifice has allowed us to do”

Moving deeper into the Shuttle, Far and a grimly silent Kar set off for the Exarchs audience chamber.


As they entered the audience chamber blaster shots rang out. Diving to one side Faraway saw a guard, gesturing he sent the guard outside, where the bugs mistaking him for an enemy ripped him to pieces in an instant. Looking around he saw that Kar Em had not needed Daxamite power to dispatch the two guards he had found.

“Exarch Phillipus” called Faraway, “Show yourself, face us”

Slowly a chair on a dais at the end of the room turned. On it sat a fat man, richly dressed, his robe emblazoned with the hated symbols of Sol Invictus. He was sweating, and in his hand he held a strange black globe, its deep dark surface swirled with vivid yellows and reds.

“Yes, Yesssss, No No Yesss Master” he said, but he seemed to be talking to the globe and not to Faraway. Then slowly, almost as seeing them for the first time, he looked up and spoke.
“So the weaklings show some fight eh” he sneered, “well as Exarch of Sol I will grant you an audience. On your knees to approach the dark light”

“Far be careful” said Kar Em, “who knows what traps are in here”

I want to know who’s driving this Kar and this, this,........person is going to tell me”


Faraway walked forward, as he did so automated blasters fired, almost dismissively Faraway waved them faraway, poisoned knives sprang out of the tiled floor but the blades were Faraway before they even reached him

“Impossible” said Phillipus

After a few seconds Faraway stood closed to the Exarch. Slowly reaching out he took the black globe out of the Exarchs unresisting hand.

Leaning forward Faraway spoke slowly coldly and menacingly “Now tell me two things and we will leave, firstly who is giving you these orders and secondly where is the mameluke regiment”

“Never” cried the Exarch, “You must treat me as a prisoner, I know my rights. As Exarch of the religion of a sovereign nation I have diplomatic immunity”

“Immunity” exploded Faraway “After Corycus you try to claim immunity” he reached forward with his hands, “There is no immunity for a war criminal Exarch, you will tell me what I need to know”

“No” said Phillipus “You.......” suddenly he started to choke, to gasp for air, clawing at his throat. His hand grasped at Faraway jacket front, his eyes started to bulge.

Faraway knocked his hand away. “So” he said “now that the air in your mouth is going faraway before it gets to your lungs, I reckon you have about 30 seconds left to tell me what I need to know before you pass out. What’s it to be?”

Phillipus nodded, his face turning blue as he gasped for breath, feeling as if he was drowning. Suddenly released he collapsed back into his chair greedily gulping air down into his lungs, his body shuddering with the relief of being able to breathe.

Panic on his face he looked at Kar Em “are you going to let him do this” he asked.

“Do what” shrugged Kar, “I can’t see anything”

Phillipus looked at Faraway, but now a sneer appeared on his face, “You” he spat, “you’re a hero, a so called good guy, you won’t do this, why that would make you no better than the inquisitors of the Khanate”

Faraway gestured and a scream filled the room, Phillipus looked down at the space where his hand used to be, as blood gushed out of the wound spilling down the front of his robes.

“are you sure” asked Faraway.

Turning to Kar Em he said “You might want to leave now Kar. After all if you are not here you can’t be put on trial for what happens”

Kar Em looked at Faraway, “after what’s just happened to my people I’m with you old friend” he said.

Turning back to Phillipus, Faraway said “Answer the questions”

“never” came the reply

Followed by another scream as part of his chest wall disappeared exposing ribs and a beating heart.

“sure” asked Faraway. “I understand that a blood eagle is pretty painful, want to try some more?”

“You unbelievers” gasped the Exarch, sweat running down his face and dripping from his fat jowls, mixing with the blood and staining the exquisitely embroidered robes still more. “My master sees all, he knows, he knows, .... no I will not tell”

“I need you tell me Exarch” said Faraway “and I don’t have time to play by the rules”.

The Exarch screamed in pain again. Faraway Lad had sent the tips of his fingers faraway and left behind the raw exposed nerve endings, which he was pressing on one by one.

“Talk damn you”

Kar Em, worried for his friend concerned for the steps he was taking, took a step forward. “Far” he began “perhaps he really does not know...”

“Oh I know”, said the Exarch delirious with pain, “I know your families back at the ridge are doomed as the Mamelukes are about to attack, I know about your friends in Antioch, I know they are walking into a trap, my master encourages them on, then, then he will spring the trap and your fellowship will be no more. It will happen on .........”


“Be silent fool” boomed a evil voice from the Black Globe at the Exarchs feet. “Twas a noble jest and a chance to cause some suffering to the LMBP, but if I cannot have the children converted, and the oh so joyous ecstasy of seeing the child kill the father or the father the child, then at least I had the joy of seeing you turn away from you beloved LMBP and become the same as those you claim to despise”

Faraway’s blood ran cold as he recognized that voice

“Metternich” he said, “impossible I saw you imprisoned, Hell I imprisoned you myself, I know you could never get out of that place”

“And for long eons I floated alone in the place. Time flows differently there and for each second here in this Universe I spent hundreds alone, No one to talk to nothing to see, can you imagine that Earther can you imagine the loneliness” the venomous voice spat out. “I spent centuries panning my revenge on you and your pathetic LMB, planning to torment them as you tormented me. And then he found me, he gave me succour, he rescued me. The power of the Dark Lord is great Faraway Lad, he gave me this chance to torment you in return for my rescue and my willing service”

“Master” groaned Phillipus “I’m sorry Master, I .I...” fear, not of Faraway, but of the voice from the Globe filled every pore of the waxy fat face of the Exarch.

“Oh shut up” said Metternich and a blast of yellow energy fired out of the globe, killing Phillipus who slowly toppled forward off the chair onto the floor.

“His use to me was over” said the voice from the Globe. I have risen high in my masters favour Faraway Lad and now I trap you here faraway from your friends just when they need you most, A delightful irony do you not think”

Around the room a hideous laughter echoed.

“And now I will release the Mameluke’s on that brigand King and watch them slit their gizzards whilst you are shut up powerless in that prison hulk”. Laughter continued, “and you” it sneered “you so called hero, champion of the law I have led you on I have made you a despicable and lowly torturer as culpable as any of those you claim to fight against, and that is my ultimate revenge. You have become that which you hate most, you are as cruel as I”

Disgusted and unable to take any more Faraway threw a cover over the Globe cutting off the voice before collapsing defeated onto the empty throne. “I’ve failed them Kar” he said, “after all this, I led you here to a prison, we’ll never make it through the Hive army outside. Your family, your grandchildren....Helen. All this” he pushed at the dead body lying in front of him with his foot “all I’ve done, it would only have been justified if we could have saved them. But now.........”

Sumra, the Contested Territories

Lardy was hanging out in the quarters the Space Knights Templar had provided for him. Hanging out. Not sleeping. Avoiding sleep at all costs.

He was afraid--no, terrified--of where his dreams might take him if he allowed his mind to sleep again.

The time aboard the cruiser on the way to Antioch, he had dreamed of the Eye and all of those horrible portents. He burned and felt his skin get seared.

Then, on Antioch, he touched the altar and was back in the same place again. This time, the Eye challenged him to sacrifice Lucifer Lass. He fought its influence, but it claimed he and the Eye were one and the same.

Finally, at the Fort of the Mountain Top, he had been forced into an unnatural sleep by one of the ghouls and experienced something different, but possibly far worse. Lardy was on a strange planet he'd never been to before. The planet was being overrun by deadly killer bugs. The bugs had kidnapped his son and daughter and taken them to a strange factory for purposes unknown but most assuredly dire. Faraway Lad was there, and so were Dev, Loser Lad and a man that Lardy didn't recognize but whom he thought might be a relative of Dev. There were too many bugs...they couldn't get to Hugh and Helena in time...they feared the kids would be...converted? Lardy didn't know what that meant, but he could tell it was a horror beyond comprehension. Unseen by his friends in his dream, Lardy instinctively reached out to Faraway's hand and touched it without touching it. Letting the Lard Force flow into his friend, Lardy guided Far interweaving both of their powers and made all the bugs go away. Then, he suddenly woke up and was embroiled in the Battle of the Fort of the Mountain Top with Cobalt.

The more he went over the dream in his head, the more Lardy came to believe that this was no dream. But how was this possible? He'd had a few flashes of Lard Force seemingly flaring up all over the place, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't consciously will even the simplest expression of Lard Force energy to manifest. Could he only do so through his subconscious...or was he finally just losing it?

Even worse, if his dream was true, then his kids were in terrible danger. Even though he felt like what he thought he did with Faraway succeeded in their rescue, he couldn't escape the fact that they were in the middle of a war zone and possibly of particular interest to the enemy.

What should he do? These were his own flesh and blood! He should be by their sides, laying his life down for them if necessary. And yet, some of the truest friends he had ever made were there protecting them. They wouldn't fail the kids...would they?

Gods! he thought. What I wouldn't give to know they're safe!

In frustration Lardy put his clothes on and left his room to seek some diversion. Knowing a facility like this would have extensive training areas, Lardy was pleased to find a Swordsmanship class taking place. The class was awed to see such a legendary swordsman as Lard Lad, and he indulged their wishes by giving them some pointers on their techniques and then sparring with their instructor. Lardy won the contest, of course, but held back from totally dominating it so as not to make the instructor look bad in front of his students.

After the class was over, Lardy indulged the instructor's offer of the use of the Templar sauna in exchange for his help with the class. He was alone in there for a long while before a surprising visitor entered.

"Tony!" the visitor exclaimed.

Very few people called him by that name, but Lardy couldn't place the voice immediately. It didn't help that Lardy's oculars were all fogged up. "Who?" Lardy said in confusion.

"Well, damn, Tony--I know it's been a while since you visited the Lard Monastery, but--?"

Suddenly, it clicked. "Serj? Oh my freaking Gods!"

The two laughed and embraced, though a little awkwardly as both wore only towels.

Serj Ontronik was a fellow Knight in the Order of Lard Knights who entered the monastery around the same time as Lardy. Along with Chuck Taine, Serj was one of the closest friends Lardy had ever made within the Order. Lardy hadn't visited the Lard Monastery in nearly eight years, after the first time Lardy had lost his powers. They had no answers for him back then, and he doubted they would when the Red Bee's bullet took them away this time. So he hadn't bothered.

"Serj! What the Hells are you doing here?" Lardy said with a laugh as he regarded the man he hadn't seen in so long. The tan skin, characteristic of his middle-eastern Earth descent. The familiarly wild, frizzy, crazy- curly black hair. The trademark pointy, angular chin accented with perfectly-groomed chin beard. The long, lanky arms and legs and thin torso that maked him look like a marionette. "You haven't changed a bit!"

Serj laughed, "You neither! Anyway, I eventually followed your example and left the Lard Monastery, Tony. Meditating constantly eventually just got old! I came to see the war for the Contested Territories as my 'Crusade' and eventually joined up with the Space Knights Templar!"

"So you traded in being one kind of Knight for another?"

"Yeah, man, we do a lot of good out here." Then Serj leaned in, as if sharing a secret. "...and we hope to do a lot more pretty soon..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean..."

Sensing there was a certain line his friend didn't want to cross in that area of the conversation, Serj changed the subject. "So...I heard you lost the 'Force again?"

"Yeah, been about a year now. Got shot in the head and all. Been having some weird experiences lately, like it's trying to come back. Dreams and stuff. But I can't make anything manifest at all."

Serj's hand glowed blue. "May I?" he asked.

Lardy knew what Serj wanted to do. "Yeah, go ahead."

Serj nodded and put his hand on Lardy's head. Both closed their eyes. "There's something there, Tony," Serj said, his eyes still closed. "But it's buried deep, like it's way down in your--"

"--subconscious?" Lardy completed for him.

"Yeah! It's like it's in this part of your brain that you can't unlock. I can't reach it, either, Tony." Serj shrugged, then disengaged.

"How do I get to it, Serj?"

"I dunno, Tony...but I don't think it's any injury keeping you away from it." Serj looks Lardy square in the eyes. "It's you, Tony. I think it's you who's keeping it away from yourself...subconsciously."

Lardy shook his head. "But the dreams..?"

"I'm no shrink, Tony, but I think it's you letting it out a little at a time. Plus..." Serj's face looked a little haunted. "...well, something about the Contested Territories and the border with the Oval..."

"What? What is it, Serj?"

"I dunno. There's something that heightens the Lard Force senses out here. Plays tricks on you, sometimes."

"Really? Why is that?"

"Again, I dunno. In the last few years I was at the monastery after you left, the Order became very fearful of the Dark Oval. 'A disturbance in the Lard Force makes its home there', the Lard Masters would warn. Of course that just made me curious to come out here and see myself."

"Do you have weird, prophetic dreams, too, Serj?" Lardy gulped. "About...an Eye?"

"Yeah, I do. And you're in them, too. It's as if the Eye is always after you. They've been more frequent and more intense lately."

Lardy trembled slightly and said, "just as I'm about to go into the Dark Oval..."

"Look, Tony," Serj implored, "I know it's scary as hell, but I know in my gut that this is a Quest you're meant to fulfill. That's 'Quest' with a capital 'Q'! You've gotta face this Eye or whatever and show it what you're made of! I don't think you'll ever be complete without this happening in your life. Don't ask me how because I don't have the answer--but this is, well, this is your Destiny, man...with a capital 'D'!"

Lardy smiled a little. "Yeah, I know it is. But there's something you could do for me that would put my mind at ease..."

Serj leaned in, and after Lardy spoke his request, Serj vowed to do as his friend asked.


Much later, Lardy returned to his quarters. As afraid as he was of what his dreams might bring, Lardy was determined to give sleep another shot at him. He was that exhausted.

As he opened the door, Lardy was surprised to find a note had been passed under it at some point.

It read:

Lardy,

Eryk and I are here on Sumra to see you. After you read this, simply get on your bed, and I will bring you to us at the Hall of Llilthantra!

-Lucy

"Crap!" he exclaimed as he finished the brief note. "I forgot all about that!" He remembered Lucifer Lass's visit before the Fellowship had left Weber's World. All tiredness suddenly disappearing, Lardy dropped the note, grinned, took a running header onto the bed---and vanished!

Dev Em flew in for a landing. From high above he could see that the perimiter that they had set up was holding for the moment.

He was carrying Helena and Hugh, and they were grinning ever so slightly despite everything that they had just been through. Being flown around was a treat for them, and they were intent on enjoying the moment.

Another Daxamite, Juf Un, landed with Loser Lad. The last Daxamite flew past them and scouted the area further to the west.

Helen ran to the children and threw her arms around them. "Thank you so much for returning them..." she said between sobs of happiness. She looked around after a few moments and gasped. "Where is Darden? I said such..."

Dev cut her off in the nicest tone he could. "Helen...he is fine. He, my father and most of the Daxamites are taking the fight to them..."

Princess Alyson and Dev's children ran to him and he embraced all of them. "How are they?" he asked Alyson, his eyes darting to her parents.

"They're not doing well. I do not think Daddy's going to make it, and mother is starting to break into a fever."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Um...Dev, you might want to take a look at this..." Loser Lad said while physically turning Dev's face to, and pointing at, the direction that they had come from.

Off in the distance, the sky was turning red.

"By the gods..." Dev said, and Loser could tell that he was trying to see something with his vision powers.

"What the hell is happening Dev?" Loser said, really wishing that he had the ability to see at the distance Dev Em did.

"This is really bad..." Dev said as he turned to Juf Un and Fes Te, who had just landed. "We need to get these people to my ship at the castle...or better yet, go get the ship and bring it here. Do not look in that direction though...that is an order from Kar Em himself."

They looked at him puzzled.

"Listen to me, there is no time to waste here," he leaned in and whispered something to them. Their faces went white and they immediately took off for the castle.

Loser looked at Dev and shook his head. "Are they all..."

"No, not all. Far and my father are still alive. But they need help, and we're going to give it to them."

72 Hours Ago – Founders Park

“Nighty, you have to know that this is a mistake,” Lightning Lad almost whispered as he stared at the statues across the reflecting pool from the ornate bench he'd chosen. “If you do this, it will split the LMBP right down the middle. We'll wind up at war with ourselves. Is that what you want?”

“I doubt it will come to that... but if it does, it might be fun.” Nightcrawler's voice rasped out of the shadows of a nearby tree where he sat with only his eyes and smile clearly visible. “Calm down, Scott, I promise not to chop up any of my friends, Okay?”

“Do you have any real friends in that bunch, Bal? Seems to me most of them are so in awe of us that they practically wet their pants if we so much as notice them.”

“Some of them, yes. But not many and definitely not the two who started this mess. That pair would spit in the devil's eye just to see if he's right or left handed. So yes, I have a friend or two in that bunch.”

“So there's no way I can talk you out of this... No way to change your mind?”

“You don't need to change my mind, old friend, you need to change Her mind. She's pushing this. And she makes good sense when she lays out her case for why we should do this. Change her mind and Kippers and I will go along with it. Although Lard Lad claiming to be a better swordsman than I am... Two minutes and he'd be on the ground... Nah... Not worth it... Change her mind or change your's and go with us.”

“Hrrumph... Go with you? Not likely, One of us needs to be here, you know why,” He turned slightly to look at Zardi's Castle floating above Mount Future. “And the odds of my changing her mind about anything are slim to none, with Slim on a bus out of town.”

“Have you spoken to Kippers?”

“Yeah, he's in the same boat you are, change her mind... change her mind...” A rueful smile crossed his face, “So who's the choice to take my place?”

It was Nighty's turn to snort at that question. “You don't want to know.”

“Of course I do.”

“Trust me, you don't.”

“Out with it...”

“Quank.”

“QUANK!?!?”

“Told you you didn't want to know...”

“Quank... Jebus H. Christ on a stick! Quank! Does he know yet?”

“Tomorrow.”

Sumra,
The Contested Territories

Hours earlier…

A tired and road-weary Cobalt Kid entered a small, modest sized tent, wiping the mud off his boots and dusting off the dirt from his cloak. He was tired, filthy and starving, but he knew there were important matters to attend to.

“You look grim,” said a voice, “you must have forgotten how difficult it is to get here from the UP.” Cobalt looked to see a half-smile on the face of his long time partner and friend, Eryk Davis Ester. Cobalt couldn’t help but smile back.

Eryk Davis Ester was a prolific and beloved Legionnaire for many years now, and a major voice among the Legion World community. Even though he retired to reservist status among the LMB years earlier, he remained prolific in the United Planets because he was co-founder and leader of the Space Knights Templar with Cobalt. He was equally as famous for his green nelly cap, which now adorned his head.

“You seem in good spirits,” said Cobalt, still smiling. “Years of our hard work are finally paying off,” he added, sitting down as Eryk did. “I’m glad I caught you before you left Sumra. I know you’re in a hurry and I pushed the fellowship extra hard just to try to get a few moments with you, Eryk.”

“I wish you didn’t have to, but unfortunately I don’t have much time,” Eryk nodded. He pushed an omni-database towards Cobalt. “The Knights will update you in full, but I can tell you everything has been prepared and is in place. Once things start to really move, the Knights will be ready.”

“Excellent,” said Cobalt nodding.

“I also have arranged for several parties of Knights to leave Sumra at the exact moment you do, to confuse the enemy. I’m not sure if it will make much of a difference but based on some resistance you’ve already encountered, The Dark Lord is on to you. Maybe this will help you retake some of the advantage of surprise.”

“Thanks, Eryk,” said Cobalt. He hadn’t seen his friend in months but it was if their last conversation had never stopped, with only a brief pause in between. He hoped they’d have a chance to sit down and enjoy each other’s company when this was all done, after all these years of work and little relaxation. “I brought you something,” said added Cobalt.

Eryk looked at him as Cobalt took a moment to build suspense. “Jeepers, Cobie, spill it!” he smiled.

“This,” said Cobalt, handing him a wrapped bundle, which he had kept in his cloak. “This should help you in your own quest to come. I know its what you’ve been searching for…”

Eryk began to unwrap the bundle, pausing to make sure no one was looking but realized his pet Luck Lord was taking care of that, after he accidently uttered jeepers.

“A Sumrese falcon!” he said, surprised and excited. “You found one!”

“Indeed,” he smiled, “and you don’t even want to know how I did,” he added. “This should be very valuable to you for what you’ve got planned.”

Eryk nodded and wrapped the bundle back up. He looked up, and for a brief moment, a wave of melancholy passed him. “I wish I had time, but I’ve got to go…”

Cobalt nodded. “I know,” he said, “so do I…”

They stood up and embraced each other by the forearms, pulling one another in for a hug, as per the tradition on how the Space Knights exchanged an affectionate hello or goodbye. “Good luck…” they both said, and then left from opposite sides of the tent.



Now…

Cobalt stood leaning against a tree on the far outer rim of the city, enjoying a flash of ice cold water and basking in how refreshing it felt. He was waiting and at last saw approaching the person he needed: Tempest.

He stood up strait, and walked forward, putting his flask of water away. “Tempest, thank you for coming,” he said. “I know you’re as anxious as I am to enjoy some time off the road, but this is something only you can help me with.”

She held up her hand as if to say ‘say no more’, and nodded. “Desmond, I understand. You’re wise to come to me and not handle this yourself. There are powers at work that are beyond the reckoning of normal men.”

Cobalt nodded, appreciating her bluntness. “Shall we?”

“Yes,” she said, “let’s.”

The two then rose up in the air, using their flight rings, and began to fly deep into the wooded area beyond the military city of the Space Knights. Immediately upon entering the woods, they felt a great darkness upon them, almost repressive. As if just beyond the lights of the city, there was only despair.

“The Knights alerted me to a presence here…” said Cobalt, “and I suspected who it was, even if I don’t understand.”

“Power Boy and I have discussed it,” said Tempest. “The bio-mutants on Antioch, and indeed, all of the manner of creatures that attacked us, were under the direct command of one massively powerful sentient. A being of supreme evil.”

Cobalt watched as Tempest spoke and flew through the skies, looking strait ahead. She was magnificent to behold, a pinnacle of beauty and power. “I thought about bringing Power Boy,” he said, “but I feared he’d just attack him.” He paused and then added “were you able to see this being?” he asked.

She paused for a moment. “Yes,” she said at last, “using my scrying abilities I was able to gaze up on him, and in doing so, he gazed upon me.” She was silent for a moment and Cobalt could feel this had been a burden she had been carrying since the battle at the Fort of the Mountain Top. She spoke again: “He is here, in the woods. Waiting.”

At last they came to a clearing and all was totally dark. Cobalt and Tempest used their LMB flight rings to create lights to guide them. The clearing was very wide and the light stretched all the way to the edges. As Cobalt moved the light along the perimeter of the clearing, he at last came upon two feet in scandals.

In the less than a second, suddenly an enormous fire lit up, surprising the two LMBers, but they soon realized it was not an attack, but rather a campfire along the perimeter where the scandaled feet were. He had been waiting, using the fire for a dramatic entrance. They now saw as the light subsided into a calmer campfire, the visage of the unseen menace who had been tracking him; the one who had ravished the group of passerbys in Antioch in such an appalling manner; the demi-God of violation: Titus.

“Greetings,” said Titus, with a smile, a sense of genuine delight to see them. “I had hoped we could parlay.”

Tempest said nothing and turned to Cobalt to tell him not to speak but it was too late. She cursed Cobalt under his breath for his lack of knowledge of magic.

“This game of cat and mouse grows boring,” said Cobalt Kid. “Are you going to follow us the whole way, always at a distance?”

Titus smiled, and in doing so, they came to see that his teeth, though not fangs or anything supernatural, were all sharpened like a shark’s. He was very beautiful to behold, almost too beautiful, making one need to turn. He wore a beautiful white toga, with a purple covering along the shoulders and chest; the purple had once proclaimed him as the Emperor of the Ancient Priapolian Empire. Around his head was a slim, yet ornate crown. On his feet were two scandals made of gold.

“What delight is there in the kill, if the hunt has not aroused the predator beforehand?” he said calmly.

His words pierced into the two of their minds and they quickly remembered the manner in which he murdered the group of travelers on Antioch. They both shook of those memories silently. “Foul being,” said Tempest, “the very smell of you burns at the senses. You are an abomination and should not exist on this plane.”

“And a day will come where neither of you are even a memory, yet, here I’ll be, still existing on this plane,” he said, still smiling.

He was obviously trying to bait her, but she would not bite.

“We are here, monstrosity,” said Cobalt, “say your peace.”

“I am addressed as Titus,” said the demi-God, not rising from his seat but leaning backwards. “Emperor Titus of the Glorious Prianopolis, whose beauty has long since faded. And I parlay with you now, to let you know the Dark Lord rewards all of his subjects, much like he has rewarded me with eternal life. Those who do him the greatest service receive the greatest honors.”

“This is a business offer, then?” said Cobalt unimpressed.

Tempest again regretted not telling Cobalt beforehand not to speak to this being.

“Eleven of you hold no meaning to the Dark Lord,” said Titus, “and whether you live or die carries no weight. But one of you is very dear to his heart and his intentions. You know of whom I speak. Give him to us, and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.”

With his words, the campfire in front of Titus began to change shape and color, the flames becoming a vibrant blue and then clear. Within, the two could see themselves as King and Queen of a grand empire, the greatest richest at their feet. Concubines as far as the eye could see. Worshipped as deities. Every desire satisfied immediately.

Cobalt closed his eyes and suddenly he felt Tempest holding his hand, and then squeeze his fingers. It was enough to break whatever spell Titus was weaving.

“I will not entertain this offer again,” said Cobalt clearly and slowly, measuring every word. “My reply is simply this: I will never, ever, hand him over. Come get him.”

Titus stopped smiling now and rose from his seat and the two backed away. “In my heart, I hoped your answer would be thus, though I never imagined you’d be so reckless as to offer up such a challenge.” His soul-less eyes stared directly at them both. “Accepted,” he said, growing angry, and stepping forward.

In an instant, Tempest grabbed hold of Cobalt Kid and immediately cast two spells: one of protection and one to teleport them away.



“You take great delight in putting us at risk,” said Tempest annoyed at Cobalt, as they reappeared in the city.

Cobalt found himself slightly out of breath, and looked around. “Is he attacking…?” he wondered.

“No, and I suspect he won’t. You angered him and almost caused him to lash out. Which would have destroyed you, by the way. But now he’ll calm down and remember his love of the hunt. I suspect he won’t be attacking the city.” As she spoke, she took Cobalt’s water jug and took a sip.

“Thank you,” said Cobalt. “Whatever he was doing with the fire…it was intoxicating. I needed to be snapped out of it.”

She nodded and said nothing.

“I’m glad you’re on this mission,” he said at last. “There will be a reckoning with Titus…and I’ll need you with me.”

She smiled at his bravado. “More like the other way around,” she said. “But yes, I’m glad I’m on the mission to.”

The two walked back to the barracks where the group was staying, saying nothing of the confrontation to anyone. There was still an odd tension between them due to their complicated history but the two seemed to be getting a better understanding of one another, and possibly, even growing to like one another as comrades at arms.

Sumra, the Contested Territories


Lon and Kalla walked hand in hand. They were both intensely aware of their surroundings, but were more simply just enjoying being alone for the first time in a while. As they walked, they saw Cobalt Kid and Tempest heading back towards the others. "That's odd..." Lon said under his breath, "he wouldn't of gone to see..." Lon shook his head and kept walking.

Lon was carrying a backpack and Kalla was carrying a water flask and another pack. They were some ways from where they were staying with the others. Lon looked at her and smiled. "This is good," he said and started towards some ruins just off the trail they were on. It had intact walls on three wides and no ceiling of any kind.

She smiled at him and followed. "You know all the romantic spots..." she said as she stepped past fallen gates outside the building that he was walking towards.

He sighed and took off his pack. "You want to go back and eat with the others..." he said with a snicker.

"I would much rather be anywhere with you alone, and you know that."

"Same here. It's nice to not have to have you wearing that false image anymore. No more hiding who either of us are anymore."

She set down her packs and put her arms around his neck. "Yes...no more hiding."

They kissed and then went about unpacking. Soon, they were eating a meal prepared for them.

"I'll say this for our hosts," she said, "they do know how to make a good meal out of the bare minimum of ingredients."

They ate the rest of their meal in relative quiet. Just enjoying being alone and not having to withstand the stares that most all of the others gave them.

They finished and packed the remains in one pack. Lon unpacked a blanket and spread it out on the ground. They layed down on it and stared at the sky, which was turning darker by the minute.

"we should be getting back soon," she said looking at him in the fading light.

"Why? You afraid to be out here alone at night with me?" he said with a huge smile forming on his face.

She rolled over onto her side and grinned. "Me alone with the big bad wolf?" She put her hand to his cheek, "he'd never stand a chance."

She leaned in to kiss him, but he shot up from the blanket and almost knocked her over, if not for his agility in avoiding her. He was looking around, almost frantically.

"What's the matter Lon?" Kalla said as she moved next to him.

"Someone is out there...watching us. Watching all of us."

"We know we're being followed," she said trying to see through the darkness that was falling around them.

"Not him...this is someone else. Someone that wants me to know that he is out there, but not getting close enough to reveal anything about who or what he is." Lon finished his sentence and was looking up into the night sky.

"Let's go rejoin the others," Kalla said and put her hands on his arm.

He whipped his head towards her and then breathed in deeply. "Yeah. Let's head back." He said and gathered up their things.

She watched him and wondered what in the universe would make Timberwolf act like this. He almost seemed spooked, it was the closest she had ever seen him come to looking worried. He always seemed calm and in control, but whoever was out there, had shaken him up somehow, and that sent a shiver up her spine.

They were quiet on the way back to the others. They walked holding hands, but said nothing.

United Planet’s Space

The LMBers Space Ranger, Raging Bull and Enigma looked out into space, as My Whee Fem piloted the space cruiser through United Planets space. As they rode in silence, holo-news was being broadcasted, keeping the LMBers up to date on the many complicated facets of the Dark Oval attack on the United Planets.

“This ain’t right, y’all,” said Raging Bull. “We should be doin’ something about it, somewhere.”

CJ Taylor, the LMBer known as Engima, turned to Space Ranger. “Why aren’t we helping, Space Ranger? What’s going on here, exactly, that is so important we aren’t being utilized in the field somewhere.”

Space Ranger gave him the honest answer. “You know about as much as I know now, CJ,” he said. “For some reason, the Dark Oval is very interested in you and they’ve promised their thugs and mercenaries a great reward for your capture. Somehow, Cobie knew this was going to happen before it did, so he enlisted my help in securing you. Luckily, My and I were able to find you before they really started looking.”

“Okay…” said CJ looking at Raging Bull with a confused look, but Raging Bull just shrugged. “But why me? What do I have to do with the Dark Oval? I’ve never even been there and I wasn’t on Legion World years ago during the Invasion.”

“Good question,” said Space Ranger, “but I don’t have an answer for you.” What Space Ranger didn’t say, and My Whee Fem knew it, was that he had his own theories, after being such a close friend and confidante to Cobie for many years. “What I do know is we have instructions to take you somewhere safe, where hopefully you’ll get some more answers.”

“And then we can go off and offer up our own brand of justice!” said My, feeling impatient about having to be on this side mission.

Raging Bull said at last what they were all thinking. “C’mon pard, all these years, joking about being EDE’s clone, or alt ID or somethin’. We all always knew there was somethin’ mysterious about ya. That must be it, right?”

Space Ranger looked at CJ and even My Whee Fem turned back. CJ looked at them all and then looked at the ground. “Yeah…I guess you’re right…” he said, not saying anything further.



Weber’s World

Spellbinder sat among the other Senators and Ambassadors on Weber’s World as Prime Minister Maya adi Lva finished her latest meeting. She appreciated the Prime Minister’s brevity and focus—she wasn’t someone who wasted lots and lots of time on meetings and formalities. As Maya adi Lva finished her final words, Spellbinder noted the room seemed awfully empty. Many of the Ambassadors and Senators had been deployed throughout the United Planets to aid in diplomacy and peace efforts; both Relnic and Hranzer, best known to the LMB for being their two biggest supporters on Weber’s World, were elsewhere.

The Prime Minister finished her words and the other Ambassadors and Senators stood up. Crujectra appreciated that the in-fighting and debating that was paramount in the first few days had decreased quite a bit. There were two reasons for this: the Ambassadors threatening to secede from the UP had already left, such as the Ambassador of Imsk, and many of the other politicians had been deployed. It was an ages old strategy—take the disruptive voices and put them to work elsewhere.

“Princess Crujectra,” said the Prime Minister, “may I have a word?

“Of course,” said Spellbinder.

“Has Ambassador Helene rejoined you yet?” asked Maya.

“She has,” replied Crujectra, “she’s in the Command Center now, lending a hand to Bellassarius. The situation hasn’t improved too much but I do feel positive that we are doing everything that can be done.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” said Maya, and as she replied, she looked around the room to make sure none of her political enemies were present. “Have you heard further word from your friends on their journey?”

Spellbinder was tempted to telepathically read Maya’s thoughts right then and there, as she was surprised at how frank the Prime Minister was in revealing that she too knew about the Fellowship. But then again, she did know Prime Minister adi Lva was a shrewd and smart politician who tended to know everything. “No, Prime Minister,” said Crujectra. “I have not. But I can tell you that I’m confident so far all is going well.”

What Crujectra did not reveal was that she had a telepathic link with Cobalt Kid, which had been in place for many years. In some cultures, it was the equivalent of being married. It allowed Crujectra and Cobalt to stay in contact, though with such a distance growing between them, sharing actual thoughts was no longer an option. But she could still feel his presence and his emotions. And thus far, she felt through their link that Cobie has not been hurt in any way.

“I’m glad to hear it,” said Maya. “What they do will be of tremendous importance. I’d like to be kept updated, if at all possible.”

Spellbinder nodded, “of course,” she said, but not over-promising. Those updates would come at her discretion.



Legion World

While the universe was at war, the citizens of Legion World continued about their daily business—somewhat nervous, and somewhat scared, but not willing to disrupt their lives. There was a sense of courageousness about it; they showed support to the United Planets and did what they could; but they knew the Dark Oval’s greatest desire was to shatter their sense of self, and they would not let that happen.

Something else else that was noticeable was the lack of flying superheroes in the airways. A large contingent of the Legion of Message Board Posters, and many of their allies, were now absent on Legion World. The Fellowship, the LMBers deployed all across the United Planets and the Legion World Founders all had urgent business elsewhere. It could almost be cause for alarm…which is why those LMBers still on Legion World, purposely made sure they were seen.

“Look! Up in the Sky! It’s Lash Lad!” said one of the young children on the streets of Legion World, as Lash Lad flew past them, waving to the crowd. The most beloved of all posters was a reassuring sight for these tension-filled times.

Lash Lad landed on a nearby rooftop and scoped out the cityscape. He was by the fashion district in downtown Legionnopolis, a section of the city that encompassed nearly 60 city blocks. “Ah,” he said, seeing who he was looking for below. “Teed’s anagrams indicated she was some sort of danger...” he leapt down to the city streets and began to walk among the crowds, who all turned to look at him as he passed.

Below in the streets, dressed in the most trendy and current fashions, was an absolutely beautiful young woman, who turned heads everywhere she went. And those who didn’t see her, knew she was close when they heard her trademark giggling as she saw designs that were in her mind, terrible. She was not the kind of person to keep those thoughts a secret. She was well known to the LMB and the citizens of Legion World as Umber, the raven-haired beauty who came to Legion World with the LMB, though why she hung around them was never quite clear to the every day people.

“I know, as do most of us,” thought Lash Lad, “that Umber is Cobalt’s daughter, even if she doesn’t seem to get it through her head after he’s told her all these times. Crazy Cobie! Hah! But apparently that puts her in danger…”

As Lash Lad followed her, taking pictures with everyday citizens as he walked through the crowds, he did not notice someone else was following Umber as well, undetected by normal eyes.



Legion World, Rockhopper’s Rookery

Fanfic Lady looked at the Mission Monitor Board once again, making sure all of the LMBers on active duty were in place, while keeping an watchful eye on how many were still on Legion World. Only a few weeks into her term as Deputy Leader and she was thrust into the most dreadful situation a Deputy could face: the entire galaxies at war, and the LMB Leader on an even more important quest in a far off galaxy. That meant she was left in charge, and it was a non-stop, exhausting position.

“The servants will bring some more tea,” said a voice, “and we both could use it.” It was Ram Boy, the prior LMB Leader before Rockhopper Lad and Fanfic Lady’s election. With Rockhopper Lad among the Fellowship, Fanfic Lady had recruited him to help her manage the vast roster of LMBers and coordinate the missions, as a de facto deputy-deputy. He gladly accepted, having just been in the leadership role.

“I think we’re doing everything we can,” she said, “but we’re spread awful thin. I’ve called in the Reservists and they’re responding as best they can. Most of them aren’t coming back to Legion World, as I’ve had to deploy them elsewhere,” she said, nodding at the screen, which showed Arachne and Walk with Crowds heading to Imsk.

“Fat Cramer, Lash and Matlock are still here on Legion World,” said Ram Boy, “as are many others. Legion World is well-guarded, for the moment.”

She nodded, and then turned to take some more tea being brought to them by Rockhopper Lad’s staff in the Rookery.

“The entire world in great danger,” she said at last, “and it all hinges on a small band accomplishing a near impossible feat.”

Daroon

Groaning out loud and pushing the lifeless corpse of the Exarch, from the chair, Faraway slumped down into it, his hand going up to cover his eyes, “we’ve failed Kar, We’ll never get back to them through all those bugs, Metternich is right, he’s beaten me.”

“I’m not so sure Far” said Kar Em looking thoughtfully out of a view port. “I can see the the red sky starting to dissapate from here, it may take a while, but something finally seems to be going our way for once. There must be some powerful winds up there, the red sky’s are starting to slowly fade away, once they do, if I can get outside for just a few seconds I can recharge enough so I should be able to get you back to the King in double quick time. As long as the hull of this place holds out.”

Faraway looked up, hope beginning to grow once more in his breast. He remembered that purple glow and the sense that he had felt of not standing alone of being connected somehow to a force that sustained and nourished.

Stooping and picking up the black globe Faraway stood and moved next to Kar Em, “well, we’ve risked so much so far, What’s one last throw of the dice, Once you think it's time, I’ll hold them off long enough for you to get us back.”

------------------------------------------

Juf Un and Fes Te returned with the ship that had brought Dev Em, Loser and the others to Daroon.

Juf floated over to Dev Em. "I'm not sure I understand the need for this ship."

Dev smiled at him. he motioned for Fes and Loser to come over to him. "This is what we're going to do..."

------------------------------------------

The two silently retraced their steps to the entrance door. Pausing they looked at each other, looking outside, the sky was still red, but it was lessening in intensity by the minute. They could hear the bugs skittering against the door, the top of the ship, and the hull below them. Faraway looked at Kar, "do you think we have enough time?"

Kar shook his head. "They're nearly through old friend. This may be it, but I'll be damned if I go down without a fight." He pulled two guns from his belt. Far looked at him, he hadn't even realized he had had them on his person. Kar smiled, "I'm always prepared..."

Kar stopped talking and cocked his head a little. "Do you hear that?"

Darden strained to hear what Kar was talking about. "It sounds like..."

A sudden blast of heat vision decimated a large swathe of bugs in front of the door.

Faraway smiled, “I guess that means we are ready then” he said.

Juf Un whizzed past them at a good rate of speed, but obviously not at full power, in fact, he seemed to be slowing down as he circled around for another run at the bugs. His second blast was obviously lessened in intensity. but still deadly to a large group of bugs.

Turning to the noise of the door opening the bugs realised they were not alone and started to swarm towards them, Faraway wasted no time on subtleties and simply sent as many of them as faraway as he could as quickly as he could. Next to him Kar Em was firing his guns as fastas he could. He grabbed Faraways good arm and yanked him upwards. Faraway turned and realized that Far was climbing the ship. "What are you..."

"Get yourself up here quick. We only have a few..." he turned and fired at several bugs trying to come at them from the top of the ship. "We have to get to the high ground. He should be here any second..."

Without a further word Kar Em and Faraway climbed to the top of the ship. Faraway folloowed Kar Em's lead as they ranas fastasa they tired bones would let them to the far end of the ship. Kar had fallen behind faraway, yelling for him to keep running no matter what, including the fact that they were running out of ship and were heading towardsa sea of bugs that would try to rip them apart at the first chance provided to them.

they quickly ran out of room and Faraway hesitated for a split second. Kar Em slammed into him and grabbed him around the chest as he jumped with what little strengthhe retained. They sailed out several feet over a huge sea of chittering bugs, and started to fall towards them.

Faraways feet were about three feet from the bugs when he realized that they were rising again.

Dev Em was carrying Kar Em, who in turn was holding onto Faraway. They were rising up into the air above the bugs.

Juf Un passed them going the other way and he smiled at them. "Good luck..." he said as he dove into the bugs and detonated a large pack of explosives. once the blast cleared, he stood on shakey legs and took off again. Flying very low and slow above the bugs.

Dev carried Faraway and Kar Em to a ship that he paced and they entered through an open hatch.

Kar Em stood in the doorway, trying to find a glimpse of Juf Un. he saw the young Dazxamite heading towards the ship again.

As he watxched Juf, he glanced toward the ship to see where he was going. He saw a column of women being forced into underground tunnels beneath the shuttle. Quickly turning his face away, he said “Far, the hatchery, it’s under the Shuttle”

"There's nothing we can do for them now Kar. The sky is still to red there for you two to be any good to them. We have to head back to the king and the rest."

------------------------------------------

A short while later, they landedback at the encampment they had established. Dev stepped from the ship first and Fes Te was there to meet him. "Is he coming..."

Dev looked away. "I'm so sorry...Juf went back to try and save some others...there's noway he survived."

Fes closed his eyes, "He always wanted to be a hero...to be like you and your family..."

Dev put his hand on Fes' shoulder. "He will never be forgotten my friend.

The others started to come down the ramp, and Dev started towards where the children were.

"Where is he, where is he” called a female voice, pushing past Dev Em, Helen flung her arms around Faraway’s neck, “thank you, thank you for getting them back to me”

She turned her head to Kar Em, he smiled and nodded, acknowledging the thanks in her eyes.

Slowly lowering her arms Helen realised that Faraway’s arm had started to bleed again. “Let me look at that” she said pushing an unresisting Faraway down into a chair, and swiftly unbandaging the wound. Tut ‘tut’ing to herself under her breath she quickly set to work cleaning the wound.

From the ramparts came a cry, “banners approaching.”

Dev and Kar ran to see what was happening. Faraway waited whilst Helen finished bandaging his wounded shoulder. He looked at her. There was fear in her eyes but her hands did not tremble and she looked calm. As she finished Far took one of her hands in his and gently kissed it. “I’m sorry Helen” he said “truly sorry that you and your family were dragged into all this. I failed you, I failed Anthony” She raised her hand and put her fingers to his lips, “Hush” she said “I was upset about my children. You have protected us from everything Darden, Anthony was right to choose you as Lord Protector to Hugh and Helena. I know how you have watched over us from afar whilst we were on Col Met One. We might have been assassinated long before now, and we are all more grateful to you than you will ever know” She looked at him “Who is it Far? who’s doing all this?” she asked.

“Metternich” spat Faraway, “I don’t know how he escaped from his dimensional prison, but I have spoken to him and he’s more, well more overt now, almost as if he no longer needs to hide in the shadows anymore”

Fire flashed in Helens eyes, “this is not all just some scheme to get at you is it”

“No I sure it’s more than that” said Faraway quickly, “Metternich admitted as much to me, he told me that he is working for someone or something, A Dark Lord I think he called it”

Helen thought for a moment, “How did you talk to him Far” she asked cautiously.

“Through this” replied Faraway unwrapping the Black Globe, and showing its deep polished beauty “some fancy pants communicator, though I’ve never seen its like before”

Helen gasped as she saw the globe “a Pallantrope” she whispered “I thought they were just a legend” Quickly and with a shudder she threw a rough sacking cloth over the Globe. “Put it away don’t use it” she said intensely, “Don’t ever use it” She stood, “I thought the stories of the Dark Lord were just that, stories. But if the Pallantrope exists, maybe they are more than just children’s tales to scare people around the camp fire at night” She wrapped her cloak around her shoulders as if cold.

Before Faraway could ask more questions a loud booming nose echoed out.

Helen looked at him “Go” she said, “Fight well, I’ll go to the children.”

48 Hours Ago – Lightning Lad's Office

Question Lad had been waiting for almost an hour for this meeting. At first he watched the media, but every channel had minimum coverage of the war. Clearly, there was government censorship of what the public was going to see of this war. The news anchor quickly transitioned from a brief newsclip of the war to a segment about the economy. Question Lad was surprised at how well the stock market was doing. Sivana Technology and Knight Industries stock had been soaring for the past two days. The only people that seemed to be bitter were bankers like his friend Miguel, who rely on long-term investments rather than short-term profits. After this news segment was over, Question Lad played Greedy Toads on his phone for twenty minutes.

"Lightning Lad is ready to see you," The secretary finally said.

Question Lad walked into a pristine office that reflected the Founder's Winathian roots. Lightning Lad gestured for him to take a seat, and the young man did. Lightning Lad shuffled through some papers until he found the correct files.

"We are pleased with your commitment to the Security Office. However, there are procedures that must be followed that Dev-em willfully ignored. It was not his place to abandon his position here and go off to war. While it is important to protect the United Planets, he made a commitment to the citizens of Legion World. We cannot honor his appointment of you as head of the Security Office," He said.

"Sir, did my performance have any impact on your decision?" Question Lad asked.

"No, I mean yes, I mean...this is not a black and white issue. You will keep the rank you held previously to Dev-em's bad decision. We do not expect old heads on young shoulders, but we are aware of the risks of giving young officers such important positions," Lightning Lad said. He did not want these young men and women to make a decision that would hurt themselves and others.

"But sir, all you have is young officers. It is us who have been the most active in recent days," Question Lad pointed out. He thought this talk about youth was ridiculous in light of all the work he had done, day and night for the office.

"That is correct. I want to work closely with all of you and make sure the Security office is working for all of Legion World's citizens. That is why I have invited your colleagues to discuss this matter with us," Lightning Lad pushed a button on his phone.

Red Arrow entered the office. She was escorted in by two armed reptilian humanoids. They were mercenaries from the planet Punkus. Lightning Lad raised an eye-brow. Private armies are not allowed on Legion World.

"When I refused to leave the planet, Uncle Lex sent these two as bodyguards. I'm thinking of assigning them to guard the outside of the Security Office," She said.

"Anythinng for Misss Sivana," One of the guards said. Lightning Lad told Red Arrow to send the guards outside the room, which she promptly did. She sat down in a chair to the right of Question Lad.

"Emily, the United Planets is grateful for Sivana Technologies' and Knight Industries' exclusive contracts during these difficult times. That in combination with your performance on Legion World has swayed me into thinking..." Lightning Lad was interrupted by the opening of the door. Question Lad turned his head to see Everyday Girl and Sam Pureheart in the doorway.

"Omygod! I'm like so sorry we're like late," Everyday Girl said, half dragging an obviously reluctant Sam Pureheart through the doorway behind her, “but we're here... So what'd we miss, Mr Lightning Laddie?” She continued pulling Sam, ignoring the chairs set in front of LL's desk, across the room to a large leather couch near the window overlooking Founders Park. “I've always liked this couch. I found fifty credits in the seat cushions the first time I sat on it.” She plopped down on one end, curled her feet under her and patted the cushions next to her while smiling sweetly up at a completely bewildered Sam.

“Every... Brit... We're trying to have a meeting here...” Scott motioned to the chairs set in front of his desk as he tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice. “so if you and Sam could join us...”

As Sam started to rise from the couch Brit put her hand on his arm. He stopped and relaxed back onto the couch.

“Ohmygod! A Meeting! So like who's representing what at this like meeting?”

“I believe Lightning Lad wants to discuss our positions in the Security Office,” Question Lad said quietly.

“Ohmygod! That's like Great! So you're like coming out of retirement?” Lightning Lad's face reddened slightly as Brit jumped off the couch, crossed the room in two steps, and bent to kiss his cheek. “So when's the like big announcement?”

“Please sit down Everyday Girl, PLEASE?” LL gestured again to the chairs arrayed in front of his desk. “I'm not coming out of retirement... There's not going to be a big announcement... I just want to make sure that...”

“Ohmygod!” Brit looked at the shocked faces of Question Lad and Red Arrow, winked, and turned back to L.L., “Where's Fanfic Lady? If this is an official MEETING and you're still retired and Mr Rockyhopper is off-planet, shouldn't Fanfic Lady be here to represent...”

“That's ENOUGH Britany!” The smell of ozone filled the office as small arcs of electricity began jumping between Lightning Lad's fingertips. “Okay...” He clenched his hands into fists then opened them again, the smell of ozone dissapated and the feeling of tension disolved. “Question Lad, Red Arrow, I'm sorry... I have no official standing in the government of Legion World. But!” He looked sideways at Everyday Girl.

“Ohmygod! He just like owns the planet... Well, him, Mr. Nightlycrawler, Miss Saturn Girl, Mr. Kippers, and I think Princess Crujeckie all own the planet together. They just lease it to the LMBP and there's a Constitution and Junk that sets out the division of powers and responsibilities between the Founder's and the elected government.” She stopped for a second and smiled at Lightning Lad. “But Mr Lightning Laddie is almost as good at following the rules as Mr Cobie-Poo is. Which means that whatever he wants to talk to us about is probably against every law on the books and is almost certainly the right thing to do...”

At that sentence, Emily said. "My family has become concerned that my activities could harm the family name..."

"Is that possible?" Sam Pureheart rolled his eyes. The Sivana family name was known for only for it's achievements in business and science. However, it was feared because of the number of family members that have been criminals throughout the millenia.

"The Sivana family has interests on over 247 worlds. Regardless of whether or not there is a war we will survive," Emily Sivana stated plainly.

"Tell me Emily, how would your family feel if Zardi used this opportunity to invade?" Lightning Lad asked.

Emily laughed, "That big piece of cheese! The Sivana Family has stood toe-to-toe with Shazam himself. We can hold our own."

At that moment Question Lad's phone went off. He swore he had put it on vibrate. Question Lad answered the phone to find he had over 2000 text messages. All of them were from Urraca Silva. Not this woman. Her father desperately wants a marriage contract with me. You know when I was eating rice in the slums of Cabral I thought money would make me happy. But I'm not happy, I wonder why that...

He then heard a a cackling noise, and before he knew it the Susanno 3000 had overheated and shut down. Question Lad looked up at Lightning Lad with a pained expression. Red Arrow put a hand on his shouldar in sympathy, and with the other hand she turned off her Amaterasu 2000.

"Sebastian, I know this will be hard but you have to learn noncompetitive teamwork. This means having your full attention at these meetings and face-to-face communication. That means turning off your phone," Lightning Lad said firmly but calmly. He spoke like a father would to his son.

"Yes Sebbie, you have to let go of your Cracknno," Britany affirmed.

"Hey! Sivana products are top of the line!" Emily said defensively. The girls began arguing about cell phones, clothes, and pretty much everything. The boys looked at eachother and then back at the girls, unsure of what to do.

Lightning Lad sent a spark of lightning down into the ground between the two girls. He said, "Enough! Now, I am assembling a team of the brightest in order to keep order on Legion World during these difficult times. The rise in crime in recent days is disturbing, and even more disturbing given that all the crime seems to point to one location in Britonopolis."

"I...have heard rumors about a kingpin of crime. There has been an increase in the amount of soma on the streets," Question Lad said.

"You are such a tool. That is a totally legal substance," Sam Pureheart commented.

"By the eyes of Hal Jordan, soma is a hallucinagen! Granted it is used to treat severe cases of depression, but it should not be used as a toy. Or is that how you got Everyday Girl?" Question Lad replied.

"You're just jealous because you can't have any. Hmm, maybe I should write you a soma prescription," Sam Pureheart rapidly shot back.

Lightning Lad sighed, "Once you stop insulting eachother take a look at the screen."

On Lightning Lad's computer screen there was a message written in orange and green on a wall in Britonopolis. The writing was: End the war, end the imperialism, end the isolationism. Follow the Eraser into a Brave New World.

24 Hours Ago – The Security Office

“Em, there's some things you should know about me before we like get any deeper into this,” Everyday Girl swiveled her chair away from the monitor board, where she and Emily Sivana had spent the last 4 hours reviewing surveillance tapes from around the area where the Eraser's message appeared. “Look, I was Assistant Security Chief for over two years. Most people thought it was just Mr Cobalt's way of honoring my uncle, Space Ranger, who everybody thought was dead and the title was honorary. But, it wasn't. I did the job... pulled my weight...”

Emily turned away from the screen she was studying and silently faced Brit, waiting for her to continue.

“I've been in training to be a cop, security officer, hero, whatever the correct term is, since I was like two years old. My family history is weird. Almost as weird as yours. Maybe wierder. My father is Hrun the Barbarian, my mother, Princess Diana of Vallhalia, is Pagan Lass's seventh daughter from a previous marrage, I think from before Gramps... Abin Quank, was even born. And Gram, Pagan Lass, was the seventh daughter of Bast and her human concubine, Master Sorcerer Numbnuts the Semi-Incomprehensible. I'm the seventh daughter, of the seventh daughter, of the seventh daughter of a Goddess and a Master Sorcerer.”

“I don't know much about magic,” Emily whispered, “But isn't there some sort of connection between being the seventh squared (or is it cubed as in your case?) in a direct line of descent and magical prowess?”

“Ohmygod No! At least not for me... I think my mom got that. But I don't really know. I haven't seen her since I was a baby. Vallhalia was invaded by the Dark Oval and she and daddy Hrun decided it was too dangerous for me to stay there so they sent me to live here on Legion World with Gram & Gramps. I don't even know if she's still alive, Hrun doesn't say much when I ask about her. He just goes on about how much she loved me and how I 'favor her.' She and Hrun weren't officially married, her father wouldn't allow it, something about Hrun's father, Gramps matlock, being a commoner and Hrun winning his King of Kings title through combat rather than royal birth... But anyway, most of what Gram told me was about how she knew about my birth the moment I was born, even though she hadn't seen or spoken to my mom in years, and that I had a destiny to fulfill.”

“Did she tell you what it is?” Emily asked, then continued. “Uncle Lex always says that our family is destined to rule the galaxy. But he always gets vague when I ask which generation.”

No... She always said that things would become clear to me in their own time, whatever that like means...”

“Yeah, Uncle Lex is always spouting nonsense like that. He has been determined since I was nine that I should marry Leonard Thawne," She said.

"Ohmygod! That's like totally lame!" Brit laughed.

An Alarm Horn cut off further conversation.


24 Hours Ago – In Orbit Over Legion World

A green energy bubble containing Abin Quank, Nightcrawler, Saturn Girl, and Kid Prime approaches what appears to be a large 'captured' asteroid.

“There you are Kippers,” Saturn Girl said in a low voice. “How close can we get before... I mean is it defended?”

“You wouldn't even see it if I wasn't here.” Kid Prime's voice sounded odd, almost mechanical. “I've been in full contact for about 30 seconds. I'm uploading the necessary information as we speak.”

“Is it necessary for you to completely re-integrate yourself into the matrix?” Nightcrawler asked quietly. “I've gotten used to you being... you... I mean... this version of you.” He clasped his hand on K.P.'s shoulder. “I don't want to lose one of my friends. Even if it means bringing back an even older friend.”

Abin, feeling like an eavesdropping child, tried to ignore the conversation and kept his focus on the 20 mile long, five mile thick and wide chunk of rock that was their destination. He knew it was something from the Founder's past, something that predated the current LMBP. But all of his questions had been met with a curt, “Wait and you'll see” answer from either Nightcrawler or K.P. Both of whom had been treating him like a child, a slow child, ever since they'd burst into his office and told him they needed him for a 'special mission.'

“You don't need to do this Kippers,” Saturn Girl said quietly. “I can shield your mind from the matrix.”

“Do you just want a ship or do you want Prime?” He replied. “That's the choice. I'm only a shadow of what I was as long as I stay out of the matrix. From the reports we've received, one ship, even that ship,” he pointed at the huge space rock, “won't help anybody much. But Prime, Prime is a different story.” He clenched his fists and looked down at Legion World below them. “We've built something great here. Something else else Fantastic. But It's in danger. We were, no, we ARE 'The Protectors.' I can't put myself above our sworn duty.” He reached out and pulled both Nightcrawler and Saturn Girl into a three way hug. “When this is over I'll be able to pull myself out of the matrix, again. I know how... it will be easier since I've done it before. Don't worry! It'll be like I never left. Abin, set us down on that spot.” He pointed to a flat circle approximately centered on the asteroid.

Abin guided them in and brought the energy bupple to rest on the indicated spot.

“I need to make contact,” Kippers voice lost all emotion, “Open your field here.” He pointed straight down. Again Abin did as instructed without question. Kippers bent over and placed his hand against the asteroid's surface, said, “See you guys inside,” and vanished...


24 Hours Ago – Charltonburg


Forty miles away from Legionopolis, Charltonburg's high society nightlife was getting underway. The skies glowed an eerie pink as the rich and famous of the non-super-powered elite viewed the sunset through glass walls of the Royal Charletonburg Hotel. Sebastian Sage wandered, apparently aimlessly among the guests. Lightning Lad insisted that they go on with their lives as normally as possible in order to avoid suspicion. “It's more suspiscious that I showed up,” Sebastian thought, “This is the first time I've attended one of these parties since I came to Legion World.” The grand ballroom was almost circular, “No corners to hide in, so I guess I just keep moving until someone corners me.” He moved silently among the party-goers, eating the odd cracker and catching bits and pieces of various conversations. The host, a local politician, had a captive audience at one end of the lavish buffet table. Several men and women seemed to be hanging on his every word. "This war won't last long," He opined in cultured tones as he gestured with a sandwich.

*"Hmm. That is what they say about every war, and almost every war is longer than the last one," A man answered. He was a middle-aged man with brown hair and green eyes.

"And is war always a great evil? You sound almost as sad as the bankers," The host shook his head. He noticed Sebastian and beckoned the young man forward.

"I would like to introduce Sebastian Sage, he owns a mineral company," The host said. "Sebastian, this is Cian Grianna. He owns a logging company." The two exchanged pleasantries and then chatted for a little bit about politics; the host was grateful to excuse himself from further discussion.

"When I immigrated from Earth, I heard all these stories about a utopian society," Cian smiles. "This is not a utopia, there is clearly still war and corruption."

"There will always be war and corruption," Sebastian said. "I would rather be free than live in a utopa."

"I would rather live in a utopia than in this uncertainty. Why, I sent a man to do business last week to Tezukaville and got his head back through the mail!" Cian explained.

Before Sebastian could reply, two Gordanian bodyguards were dragging a young man out of the building. The few that turned their heads were surprised that there were no bruises on this young men, Gordanians were not known for their mercy. He looked closely to see it was Sam Pureheart. Sebastian did not like Sam at all, but he was curious as to what was going on.

"What did he do?" He asked one of the Gordanians.

"He tried to get in using this invitation," The Gordanian held up an invitation addressed to Brittany Quank. Sebastian Sage couldn't help smirking at the decision.

"Oh come on! She told me take her place!" Sam Pureheart said. He then noticed Sebastian, "You believe me, right?" Before Sebastian could reply, the lights dimmed and then shut off suddenly. A servant ran in asking if anyone could fix circuits, and Sebastian volunteered. He fixed the circuit-breaker in a matter of minutes. The guests went back to their dancing, when the circuit broke yet again. Sebastian took out his Susanno 3000 to find reports of blackouts in every city but Britonopolis and Tezukaville. Britonopolis!?

~~~~

Sam Pureheart was walking the streets of Charltonburg. It was still a bit early, but there were a couple of suspicious characters around. They were talking about narcotics and money. Sam couldn't understand why anyone would want to live in Charltonburg. He was about to consider his options for returning back to Legionopolis, when a slick new car pulled up to the curb. The window rolled down and Sam was surprised to see this person.

"Get in the car," Sebastian said. Sam just looked at him and silently slid into the front passenger seat. For a few seconds his head swiveled in every direction. He seemed to be trying to look at every inch of the luxury car's interior. He reached out to open the glove compartment, but Sebastian told him not to.

"Cool! Does this car have special devices?" Sam asked excitedly.

"No, it's just a new car," Sebastian replied.

“Okay, so it's just a new car,” Sam reached over and playfully touseled Sebastian's hair, “to you... but I've never been in a Bently-Royce before. I didn't even know... why are you looking at me like that?”

“You touched me!”

'Yeah, so?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Yeah? ...OH!” The realization hit Sam as he spoke. “Does it always happen? Do you always absorb people's powers and memories if you touch them?”

Seabastian just stared at him for a few seconds then started removing the gloves he habitually wore. “Always... Until today.” He extended a bare hand in Sam's direction.

Without hesitation Sam reached out and took Sebastion's hand in his and gave him a firm handshake, “Anything?”

“Nothing... weird, it feels weird.” Sebastion stared at his hand still clasped in Sam's, “I've never done this before... never shaken someone's hand without gloves on, or...”

At that moment both of their Omnicoms started blaring the Security Office Emergency Recall Alarm.


24 Hours Ago – LMBP Headquarters, FanFic Lady's Office

“Would you like something to drink, Li... Scott? Sorry, it'll take me a little bit to get used to calling you by your first name. I don't think we've even spoken 10 words to each other before.” FanFic shuffled some papers around her desk for a second, looking everywhere in the room except at Lightning Lad. “So why now? What do you need?” She pressed a button on her desk, “If I remember my Legion World Lore correctly, you have a fondness for silverale.”

“A silverale would go down nice right now,” Scott smiled as he reached into the large portfolio next to his chair. “I'm looking for a job.” He reached out and placed a large folder on Fanfie's desk. “And I'm hoping you'll want to hire me.”

The door buzzed and a petite, but muscular, young woman entered with a tray. Scott turned and gave the girl a quick glance before returning his attention to Fanfie. The girl moved briskly to the desk and set down the tray. On it were a bottle of silverale, a teapot, a glass, and a cup. “Would you like me to pour M'am?” she asked in a heavy Taltarian accent.

“Miss Dickenson is a recent emigrant from Taltar,” Fanfie spoke without taking her eyes off of the contents of the folder in front of her. “When I saw her name, Emily Dickinson, I had to hire her.” Fanfie looked up and smiled at the girl who was openly staring at Lightning Lad. “Were you going to pour, Emily?”

Flustered and embarrassed, the girl turned a bright scarlet as she reached for the teapot and with shaking hands began filling Fanfie's cup. It took two tries for her to set the cup in front of Fanfie without spilling anything. Scott watched her for a second than with a bemused look on his face looked down into his portfolio and reached for a second folder. As Scott looked down, Emily flipped the silverale bottle in her hand and swung it at his head...

23 Hours & 45 Minutes Ago – on the street outside LMBP Headquarters

Everyday Girl and Red Arrow arrived with a Security Office Tactical Squad led by Lt. Hutch Starsky in tow. The scene was chaotic, a demonstration, led by a very short bald man wearing opaque glasses and a traditional lab coat, was in progress on the steps leading up to the main entrance. The small man was flanked by six massive roughly humanoid uglies, each over 7 foot tall and massing at least 500 lbs of muscle, arrayed in a circle facing outward. They stood impassively, their four massive arms crossed and their four eyes constantly scanning the crowd for potential trouble.

“Relative of yours, Em?” Brit asked as she waived the tactical squad into position. A buzz sounded in her ear, telling her that the second half of her forces were in position. “Lt. Starsky, clear us a path to the front,” she shouted, and the crowd in front of them, who were mostly either watching impassively or jeering at the small man, began to melt away, opening a clear path to the front of the building.

“He's nobody I know... But he does look a lot like the Historical Holo-Vids of Great Grampa Ted.” Em drew an arrow as she walked, “you want me to pin him?” Off to the side several members of the crowd began to murmur excitedly. “That new girl, Pink Arrowette or whatever her name is, looks tough. And the Quank kid is a major nass kicker. This is gonna get fun.” one man said excitedly.

“Not yet Em, but be ready, and shoot to disable if you have to shoot at all.”

“Disable? Yeah Right.” Em snorted, “and just how do I disable those... what are those things?”

“Ohmygod! How am I supposed to know? But they're big and heavy and they have knees. Put a shaft in a kneecap and they'll go down.”

“I put a shaft in an eyesocket, they'll go down faster... AND they won't get back up.”

“Em...”

The girls reached the front of the crowd and began walking to the steps. Emily ended their conversation by shrugging and muttering “You're paying my health insurance this month, Brit.”

“See! They send children to fight their battles, CHILDREN! They must be stopped,” the small man shouted at the crowd using a small voice amplifier. “You! Must! Stop! Them!”

“You got a permit for this demonstration, Sir?” Everyday Girl shouted and started up the steps. Red Arrow flanked her and scanned the crowd as they moved. More and more familiar faces were appearing in the front ranks.

“Stop!” The man almost screached into the amplifier. “Stop... or I turn the Maddroxes loose on the crowd!” Two of the big uglies shifted position to place themselves directly between the girls and the small man.

“Maddroxes? Sprock! Forget what I said Em, Take'em down.” Everyday Girl's specially modified Baretta VLK pistols appeared in her hands. “Nobody! No-One! Visible mode! Bag'em and Tag'em!”

Floating in the air on either side of the small man two 18” tall figures appeared, they were miniature duplicates of Cobalt Kid and Eryk Davis Esther. The Cobalt Figure kicked the voice amplifier out of the man's hand while the EDE figure scooped the man into a large canvas bag. The two Maddroxes facing EDG abd RA raised their arms menancingly but dropped instantly to the ground, each with an arrow protruding from it's left eye socket. The other four quickly met similar fates, one burst into flames, a second was incased in a block of ice, the annoying whine of Tamper Lad's Britishizer caused the entire crowd to wince as a third turned into a rancid kidney pie. The fourth simply vanished.

The action apparently over the crowd quickly began to disperse while Caliente, Frio, Tamper Lad, and Outdoor Miner bounded quickly up the steps to Join EDG, RA and the Security Office Tactical Team. Brit looked at her unfired pistols and commented to nobody in particular, “Ohmygod! I must be slowing down, I need to spend more time on the combat range.”

Emily just laughed, and Cali and Frio broke into big grins. Tamper looked at the girls with his usual distain. “Or you could be getting smarter as you get older, as unlikely as that sounds... Calling us in was simply the correct thing to do.”

“Ohmygod, Like Thanks... Mr Tamper-Puss.”

Nova Girl landed next to them with a worried look on her face. “Fanfic's office is sealed. It looks like some form of Chronal Energy Barrier...Lash and Ram Boy are up there trying to break thru... but...” She looked at Miner.

“Yeah, Yeah, send the bug... I know this drill...” He vanished.

Hall of Llilthantra, Sumra

The Hall of Llilthantra stood in the center of an ancient abandoned city on the opposite side of Sumra from the base of the Knights Templar. It was remarkably well-preserved amidst the ruins, and, though the Knights had made note of it during their explorations of the planet, they had never managed to crack the secret of how to gain entry to the mysterious Hall.

Lard Lad, Lucifer Lass, and Eryk Davis Ester sat together at a large round table in one of the hall's several dining rooms. As they sat and talked, at least a half dozen distinct Luck Lords entered and exited the room, continuously keeping them supplied with food and drink and attending their every need. Lardy had grown used to seeing Eryk's Luck Lord appear periodically and fulfill his wishes, but seeing a group of them, each with a giant eyeball where a head and face would be on most humanoids, was kind of creepy to him. The glowing, tiny winged humanoids that had accompanied Lucifer Lass when she met them earlier also flitted in and out of the chamber in a seemingly random fashion.

The three had settled into their positions around the table after an awkward start. Lardy had appeared here, via the enchanted bed Lucy had provided as transport, then promptly embraced the other two in a huge bear hug and lifted them off the ground. Lardy had been raised in an orphanage, so meeting with the two people that have been identified as his siblings just brought so much emotion out of him, especially after all he'd been through recently.

It was awkward for Eryk and Lucy, but they indulged him, even as he openly wept. Eventually, they had eased Lardy into disengaging, and they ushered him to the table to begin their business.

"My friend Ilith has been keeping an eye on your adventures since I last saw you," Lucy said, indicating one of the winged humanoids. "Her people, the sill-folk, have a particular interest in your mission, having once been imprisoned by the Dark Lord."

While the Luck Lords and their creepy giant eyeball heads were unnerving, maybe even stranger for Lard Lad was seeing Lucy sitting before him unmasked. It occurred to him that he had never before seen her without her face being covered by her characteristic black mask. It was incredible just how much she resembled Eryk. Though it had long been believed, in part due to information from Lucy, that Lardy and Eryk were twin brothers, they really seemed to have little in common. But looking at Lucy was like looking at Eryk with boobs. Girlie-boobs, that is...not man-boobs.

"So, uh, what can you tell me about this Dark Lord?" Lardy asked.

"It's a long story," Lucy began. "Perhaps some things you'd be better not knowing." She looked at Eryk.

"You might as well tell him," Eryk said. "At least the basics. The Valsinar and all that."

She nodded and began. "So, there's this war that's been going on for longer than the universe has existed. It's a civil war amongst the Valsinar, a race of cosmic entities...gods, some call them. For as long as anyone seems to remember, they've been split into two major factions. On the one side, there are the forces of Llilthantra, who are sometimes identified as "Lords of Order". On the other side, there are the "Lords of Chaos", led by Lord Xxxauron. Most of this war takes place on other planes of existence, but it occasionally spills over into this physical universe."

"As a result of these spillovers, beings of this universe who encounter the Valsinar often end up worshiping them as deities. This particular building, as you might have guessed, was constructed by worshipers of Llilthantra, and still has various benefits of her protection. Incidentally, if you are looking for a place to get a good night's rest, you should be safe from any unwanted dreams while in these walls."

Lardy shivered slightly and said, "I've...had some very bad dreams lately." And then, a thought occurred to him. "In fact, they started right after you gave me this necklace!" He fingered the necklace Lucifer Lass had given him before the Fellowship left for Weber's World.

“That’s not…unexpected,” Lucy replied. “The necklace contains a link to the power of XXXauron.”

Lard Lad noticed Eryk squirming a bit as the necklace was discussed. “‘Sup, bro?”, he asked.

“This part just really grosses me out,” Eryk said.

“Eons ago,” Lucy said, continuing her story, “the followers of Llithandra were able to deal a devastating blow to XXXauron. During a major battle, Llithandra’s daughter Hypatia was able to get close to XXXauron and slice out his left eye. Hypatia suffered fatal injuries in the process, but the eye was brought back as a prize. The eye eventually fell into the possession of Hypatia’s own daughter Una. It was eventually discovered that the eye itself could be used as a weapon against XXXauron, given the right conditions. And so it was put into the locket that is now in your possession until those conditions obtain.”

“So, this necklace contains the eyeball of this XXXauron character?” Lardy asked. Noticing Eryk was kind of pushing his food away, Lardy turned to him and asked, “So, wait… you hang around all the time with these guys with giant eyeballs for heads, but this eyeball in the necklace creeps you out?”

“Well, I’m used to the Luck Lords, and their heads are at least attached to them…” Eryk explained. Few things frightened Eryk Davis Ester, but detached eyeballs and sharks were near the top of his list of phobias.

Lard Lad did not completely understand why that should make a difference, because the Luck Lords still seemed really creepy to him, but did not want to press the issue farther. “So, what I don’t get is why this eyeball of XXXauron would cause these bad dreams?”

“It is affecting you in particular because you already have a strong connection to the power of XXXauron in several ways,” Lucy explained. “When XXXauron was injured by Hypatia, a certain amount of his power leaked out into our universe. Over the millenia, certain mortals have gained the ability to access this power, which manifests at a number of different frequencies, at least seven that have been identified.”

“This is cool, because they correspond to what they used to call ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’ on Earth!” Eryk piped in, his earlier discomfort with the other part of the story seemingly dissipated.

“Yes,” Lucy confirmed. “One of these frequencies corresponds to the “sin” of gluttony. What you know as the Lard Force is actually a manifestation of the power of XXXauron.”

"Well," Lardy shrugged, "guess it had to come from somewhere. The 'Secret Origin of the Lard Force', I guess. So what does this 'XXXauron' have to do with anything?" Then a thought popped into his head. "Are you saying he's--?"

“--The Dark Lord of the Oval!” Eryk exclaimed.

“Much as Llilthantra was worshipped in this place,” Lucy expanded, “the area of space known as the Dark Oval centers around an ancient site of XXXauron’s worship. In recent times, he himself has increasingly manifested upon the physical plane, resulting in the Oval’s particular brazenness in recent years.”

“Okay, so how’s this eyeball supposed to help me against XXXauron?” Lardy asked.

“*Gulp*”, gulped Eryk. “Now we’re back to the part I don’t like.”

“It was discovered several centuries ago that the eyeball could be used as a weapon against XXXauron, and could possibly be used to destroy him completely. There is a prophecy which says that XXXauron can be defeated if the eye is destroyed,” Lucy said.

“Okay, so why not just squish the eyeball and be done with it?” Lardy said as he feigned flattening something in the palm of his hand with his fist. Lardy chuckled as he thought his brother might faint at the implication for a moment.

“It’s not so easy,” Lucy explained. “There are a couple of caveats. First, in order to be effective, the eyeball can only be destroyed by a weapon freshly dipped in the water of the Moat of Doom outside the palace of the Dark Lord. Second, the blow can only be administered by one who is of the House of XXXauron. In other words, a descendant of XXXauron.”

“So, let me get this straight…” said Lardy. “To beat this XXXauron guy, we’ve got to find his palace, find someone who is descended from him, and convince them to destroy this eyeball using some sort of weapon that’s been dipped in the palace moat?" He grinned. "Sounds easy enough! Any idea where we should look for the where and the who of it?”

“As far as looking for the palace, I am afraid I can’t help you. All I know for certain is that it is located somewhere deep with Oval space,” Lucy added. “As far as finding a member of the House of XXXauron, that is… a bit easier.”

“I can tell this part of the story, if you like…” Eryk offered.

“Go ahead,” Lucy replied.

“So, you know that theory that you and I are the twin children of Pornis and the One Called the One?” Eryk began. “Well, the One is none other than that Una chick that Lucy mentioned a few minutes ago, and Pornis is the son of XXXauron!”

"So you're saying this XXXauron...the Dark Lord, who is the Ultimate Evil in the universe, is...our pawpaw?" Lardy asked.

“Yep! That’s basically the gist of it!” Eryk answered.

“Okay, so if the One and Pornis are from these completely opposed and warring clans of gods, how exactly did they get to the point where Pornis got his ectoplasm into her haunted house?” Lardy asked with a wry grin.

“Over the years,” Lucy explained, “Mother… The One became obsessed with ending the war. She believed that a marriage between herself and the son of XXXauron could begin to heal the wounds. She very quickly discovered that this was a huge mistake, and that the evil of Pornis was greater than she had imagined. But by that time she was already pregnant. She managed to keep the pregnancy a secret and tried to hide her twin sons by depositing them in the physical universe. Because of the relationship between the different realms, you two actually ended up in orphanages on different planets several years apart.”

“That explains why EDE is younger than me, and has a different birthday!” Lard Lad stated. “But how do you fit in?”

“Like you, I am also a child of the One, but not the result of her union with Pornis,” Lucy explained.

"So," Lardy grinned, "who's your daddy?"

“That…is not important at the moment,” Lucy responded.

“Er… you’ve hit upon a bit of a touchy subject, Lardy,” Eryk informed his brother.

“Oh-kay, then! So you're our half-sister, eh?" Then Lardy thinks of something. "So that leaves either Eryk or myself to smush gramps' eyeball..." Lardy mimed grinding something as if with a mortar and pestle and for a moment thought Eryk would puke. "...well, either one of us or Pornis, that is."

“Well, given Eryk’s… aversion to damaging eyeballs and the fact that Pornis is dead, it will probably have to be you,” Lucy responded.

“That makes sense… wait! Pornis is dead?!?” Lardy replied with surprise.

“Yes. The One and her forces managed to hunt him down and destroy him and his forces a few years back,” Lucy responded.

“It was an epic fight! You should’ve seen when Khan E. Lingus and Felice Acio went down!” Eryk exclaimed. Lardy chuckled, unsure whether the pun was intentional or not.

“Eryk was certainly invaluable in the battle,” Lucy commented.

“Thanks, Lucy!” Eryk smiled. “So, that just about covers everything, doesn’t it?”

“Unless we tell him about… the other prophecy, and the One‘s long term plans…” Lucy said, cryptically.

“I… I’d rather not,” Eryk responded, looking worried. “Not anything that involves her.”

“Look, if it’s anything I need to know…” Lardy pushed.

“No. It’s not relevant to your present quest,” Lucy responded.

“It’s something personal,” Eryk added.

“A…touchy subject for Eryk, you might say,” Lucy added.

"Yeah...touchy..." Eryk repeated as he got a distant look in his eyes.

Lucy put her hand on Eryk's shoulder and looked to Lardy, "I am afraid Eryk and I must attend to some other business. But you will see us again, my brother, when you need us the most."

Lardy thought about begging them to stay but knew it would be futile. Instead, he said, "Lucy...Eryk...if I don't make it out of this alive, please look after your niece and nephew for me."

"We will, Lardy," Eryk spoke up.

"Yes," Lucy agreed, "we will. For tonight, though, we leave you with the gift of rest. Sleep well this night in this great Hall, free of the horrors that haunt your dreams. Lie in the bed, and you will sleep through the night. My enchantment will take you and the bed back whence you came, only after you've slept all you desire. And then, your Quest will begin in earnest."

"Thank you, guys, for everything," Lardy said tearily. "For the first time in my life...I feel like I have a family."

"We'll always be here for you, Lardy," Eryk replied.

The three embraced for a moment. Then Lucy and Eryk vanished.

And Lardy lay down and enjoyed the last good night's sleep he would have for a long, long time.

"New Xundarians? Wow, you really are a tool," Sam commented on the music playing in Sebastian's car. They were making their way to LMB Headquarters and city-driving was pretty bad for a Thursday night. There apparently was some sort of demonstration.

"Keep this up and you can join my tennis racket in the back seat," Sebastian threatened. Sam glanced in the back, and sure enough a tennis racket sat there, along with a brief case and some lose folders. One of the folders was labeled V for Vanessa, and another listed all of Sage Mineral's CEOs, including Exnihil.

"Since when did you play tennis?" Sam asked.

Sebastian answered, "Since when were you interested in my life?"

"I didn't know you had a life," Sam replied. They arrived at LMBP HQ where Sam's Paramedic Unit was parked waiting for his arrival. Tony Broadneck, Sam's partner was waiting to give the pair a quick briefing.

“Situation stable but status unknown,” He yelled as he tossed Sam his Medicus One Rescue Unit Coveralls, “there's some type of Chronal Energy Barrier around Fanfic Lady's office. Cause unknown, victims unknown, but Brit wants us on stand-by until she gets some answers. Gladys checked the monitors. She thinks Fanfic, Lightning Lad, and a staffer named Emily Dickinson are inside. So far Lash, Ram Boy and Tamper Lad have tried to crack the barrier but all of them bounced. Brit tried sending her demons thru but no dice. Outdoor Miner said he could get in and vanished, that was twenty minutes ago, no sign of him since. What the hell took you so long?”

“Rich Boy's luxury car doesn't have a flight mode.” Sam snorted as he pulled on his harness.

Sebastian stifled his reply and raced to the fifth floor to find a host of LMBers trying to get inside. He volunteered his skills, but the equations were beyond a simple door hack. "There have been blackouts periodically throughout Legion World for about forty minutes. That means the barrier is fueled by an outside source. But I think if someone can disrupt the quantum mechanics long enough I can hack through." He said.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Lash Lad asked.

"There are few that surpass the Sivana's in the realm of science. Get Red Arrow," He said.

“I'm about three feet behind you, Sebby.” She walked up and pressed a complicated probe up against the barrier. “Any change, Tamper?”

“No! Dammit!” Tamper growled. “This doesn't make any sense!” He, Ram Boy, and Nova Girl were gathered around a portable monitor screen.

“It does if the generation source is inside the office.” Emily replied.

Outdoor Miner tumbled through the Chronal Energy Barrier, “Has anybody here read the Xanth Novels?”


In Orbit Above Legion World

“Abin, come to the Bridge. Abin to the Bridge!” Saturn Girl's voice echoed through the corridors of the incredibly massive spaceship.

“I'd be there already if I knew where it was,” Abin muttered to himself as he looked dubiously down yet another corridor. When the hatch Kid Prime directed him to land on opened, it's installed lift whisked Nightcrawler, Saturn Girl and himself deep into the bowels of PRIME, both of the Founders had been quick to warn him not to let himself become separated from them. Less than five minutes later he found himself alone, staring at yet another technological marvel and the ships P. A. system had begun blaring the report to the bridge message.

He looked down at his right hand, “Ring, find the bridge, take me there by the shortest feasible route.”

The location of the “Bridge” has changed three times in the last 20 seconds. The PRIME starship appears to be infinitely mutable, able to reconfigure itself to meet whatever challenge is presented to it. And it appears to be upgrading it's systems. I am attempting to establish contact with the governing intelligence but it does not appear to be fully on line at present.”

“Can you get a fix on the location of Nightcrawler's Flight Ring?”

Yes.

“Take me to him.” Abin realized (yet again) as he felt himself go immaterial and float through the decks in a straight line, that he'd been trying to exert too much control over the Faux Power Ring. Things seemed to work best when he just told the ring what to do. When he gave the ring detailed instructions... he results were spotty... at best. Twenty seconds later he was standing next to Nightcrawler on the Bridge.

“Abin,” Nighty looked slightly shocked when Abin floated down out of the overhead, but recovered his composure quickly, “I thought we told you to stay with us?”

“I tried... but... I hesitated once and the corridor you turned down vanished.”

“It's not his fault, Balshazzar, he doesn't have a contact chip.” Kid prime's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, “so I had to reconfigure my internal sensors to track him. And I don't want to alert Crujectra and Cobalt Kid that I'm back at full strength before we find out what Lard Lad and Cobalt Kid are planning, so... Abin if you'll put this on.” A silver wrist band appeared on a floating tray. “I'll be able to track your location on the ship and guide you as necessary.”

The Dominion,
The Dark Oval

Cobalt Kid looked out the front of the space cruiser, his face as stoic as ever, though he privately was suppressing a grin. “Status?” he said.

“So far we’re clear,” said Time-Teller Lad, who was co-piloting the cruiser.

“The others are beginning to break apart…most of the Dominator ships took off after the initial group,” said Lolita, who was the other co-pilot. “I think we’re going to pull this one off.”

“Excellent,” said Cobalt, “a little bit of luck early on is welcome,” he added, though he thought let’s just not use it all up now..



Earlier…

After perhaps the last decent bed and meal any of them would receive for many weeks—perhaps months—the Fellowship awoke and the pleasantries of Sumra were a thing of the past. Immediately the focus was on the next step of the journey, and the long awaited transition from United Planets space to the Dark Oval at long last.

Sumra was within the Contested Territories, perfectly placed as the entry point into the Dominion, which is why it was held by the Dominators for so many centuries. In the space between Sumra and the Dominion, a blockade of Dominator ships made up a large wall; however, it was not entirely out of the ordinary for ships to get through either side, with almost an ambiguous zone existing within both territories that allowed pilots who make overzealous errors a chance to turn around.

The Fellowship gathered but by morning Eryk Davis Ester and Lucifer Lass were long gone. Cobalt knew Lard Lad had spoken to them but did not know who else among the Fellowship knew Eryk had been close by; he choose not to speak of it. The Space Knights Templar were also off to focus on their own part to play in the coming conflict, with direct orders from Cobalt Kid on what to do when the time was right. Unknown to the Fellowship, the Knights were suffering from immense hangovers after a night drinking with Power Boy listening to his war stories.

This was their final chance to re-supply on rations, tools, sleeping material and other items. After Sumra they would have to live off the Dark Oval itself.

“You look better than usual,” said Cobalt to Lard Lad, noting that for the first time Lardy looked like he’d actually slept.

Lard Lad didn’t go into details, trying to focus on making sure he had everything he needed before he departed. “I think we’re all glad to finally get into the Oval.”

It was true. Most of them did indeed feel good about finally moving into the territory. They worked diligently all morning and soon were brought to their space cruiser. It was a standard military cruiser, very non-descript and one of dozens. It was bigger than the previous merchant ship they used but not by much.

“More reliance on technology…” said Tempest, not looking forward to another long trip in a space cruiser.

“Tell me about it,” said Shark Lad, feeling the same.

Beyond small talk there wasn’t much discussion. They all knew the mission. At exactly the same moment, two dozen cruisers would depart from Sumra into the Dark Oval. Each cruiser looked exactly alike the others. The Knights had counted before hand and there were precisely ten Dominator ships in the blockage—all much larger than the UP ships but not as fast. They were there to intimidate but not engage.

The initial dozen would take off far into the Oval and then circle back around to Sumra all in one motion. From there, another six would penetrate into the Oval but then turn east or west and take a much longer route getting back; however, the Fellowship’s ship would be among them and not make the trip back. Finally, six additional ships would enter the Oval but each pilot would have the decision on how to proceed: they could penetrate far into the Oval, do a short route, or go east or west; this last group’s goal would be to confuse and try to lure specific Dominator cruisers, drawing them away from the Fellowship individually. The ultimate goal was most would be distracted immediately while some would stay; the second wave would do the same and confuse them, with the possibility of the Fellowship making it through; and the final wave would then purposely, yet subtly, draw away any others form the Fellowship.

23 ships would return to Sumra and a diplomatic incident would ensue, but in this era of war it would mean very little. As of yet, the United Planets had not used the Sumra pass to invade the Dominion and vice versa. The Dominators were not going to look a gift horse in the mouth and press the issue. 23 ships would return to Sumra but 1 would not: one would continue on into the Dominion territory of the Dark Oval, onwards in its quest.



“If we’re followed?” said Rockhopper Lad to Cobalt Kid, standing by his side. “Surely secrecy is of the utmost importance here. So much so that everything hinges on it. So what if we’re followed?”

“Then we’d have to eliminate our followers before they could radio in our presence,” said Cobalt coldly, though he knew it was not the answer Rocky wanted to hear.

Rockhopper Lad said nothing. He looked at the screen, considering what his orders would be to the Legionnaires loyal to his commands if they were followed.

Lolita and Time-Teller Lad felt the tension building in the cruiser, as they continued piloting into the Dark Oval and checking the radar to see if they were being followed. A strong silence permeated the room.

Finally, Lolita sighed deeply. “I think we can call it,” she said. “We haven’t been followed. We’re in.”

Cobalt Kid turned to Rockhopper Lad with a big smile and saw Rocky looked relieved but wasn’t thrilled. He put his hand on Rocky’s arm and nodded, and then turned to the back of the cruiser where the others were. “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Dark Oval”

Hours went by quickly, as the excitement and optimism of entering the Dark Oval helped raise the Fellowship’s spirits. Though there was more room in the back of the cruiser, most of the Fellowship moved to the front to take in the sight of the Oval and share the minor elation they were feeling.

”Let me take over for you, Lolita,” said Helena Handbasket, sitting in as co-pilot for the tired LMBer known as Oracle.

“You too Tim,” said Timberwolf to Time-Teller Lad. “You’ve been at this quite awhile.”

“Eleven hours, ten minutes, forty-two seconds, sir,” said Time-Teller Lad, glad to be relieved. “I didn’t realize you were a pilot.”

Timberwolf smiled. “I remember the Khunds making that same mistake once.” Cobalt Kid laughed in the background, sharing a private joke with Timberwolf.

Kalla Hrykos sat up front near Timberwolf, taking in the sites. “Feel good to be home?” said Timberwolf to her.

“Yes,” said Kalla Hrykos quietly, taking in the sights. “I’ve been gone far longer than I ever thought I’d be…” She was obviously thinking very deeply about her responsibilities and plans and so Timberwolf said nothing further.

As the others engaged in some small talk, all it took was one Dark Oval saying to get them to quiet immediately: “Piss and Blood.” They all looked to see Helena Handbasket mutter it. “Figures as soon as I take over.”

“What is it, Helena?” said Rockhopper Lad.

“A Dominator ship. It’s spotted us as it was leaving that nearby blue planet,” she said. “It’s following now, and I expect it will try to communicate shortly. We’re still somewhat close to the Contested Territories, perhaps the mistake angle…?”

“No,” said Cobalt, “we’re far too deep into the Dominion. They’ll know this is intentional. We have seconds before they engage and then mere minutes after that before they get on the wire and tell the whole blasted Dominion.”

“Then I’ll handle this,” said Power Boy, holding up scepter and tensing up, as he prepared to battle.

“I’ll go with you,” said Lard Lad, preparing to fire up his exo-armor. “It’s the only way,” he nodded to Power Boy and the two turned back to Rockhopper Lad and Cobalt Kid.

“Once you engage, they might tell the rest of the Dominion before you can finish them off,” said Rockhopper Lad, considering that Power Boy and Lard Lad may not leave any survivors.

“They’re trying to get through to us!” said Timberwolf suddenly. “Make a decision!”

“I have another solution,” said Cobalt Kid suddenly very loudly. They all turned to him. You’re all right. But we’ve planned for something like this.” He then turned to the corner of the cruiser where no one was standing, and then said very directly: “Engage them.”

Everyone looked at him with eyebrows raised, and immediately Lard Lad knew Cobalt had kept something very important from them.



As far as the LMB was concerned there were 11 members within this Fellowship; even the rest of the group believed otherwise, except for Tempest, who had discovered the secret earlier but said nothing. In addition to the 11, Cobalt Kid had recruited a 12th.

Invisible Brainiac was the youngest member of the LMBP for the longest time; he was one of their best and brightest, and one of their most pure in terms of morals and heroism. He was also one of their most powerful. For many years, since joining at the young age of 15 years old, he had been considered the “kid brother of the LMB” and usually was protected by the older members. Cobalt Kid, who once was seen in that same way, treated him differently, however; he encouraged Invisible Brainiac to push himself and take risks, and often gave him more responsibility than many of his colleagues felt comfortable with. Everytime he did so, Invisible Brainiac proved him right.

“Invisible Brainiac” was a misnomer; originally it was believed he had powers of invisibility and this combined with his genius level IQ led the others to give him that name. It was later revealed that his true powers were the complete mastery of light and he in fact wore special earrings that partially blocked his immense power because it was so difficult to keep under control.

Prior to the quest, Cobalt recruited him as a secret member. As a member for his power and because he wanted another LMBer on board whose loyalty and purity was beyond reproach. Secret because he wanted a secret weapon, and because Invisible Brainiac’s light powers countered Kalla Hrykos’ same powerset. Invisible Brainiac had one secretly stowed away on a quest with the LMB years earlier against Cobalt’s orders. This time, Cobalt had him do it as part of his orders.

He was young still—one of the youngest of them all. But he was capable, intelligent and powerful. And above all, he was pure.



Invisible Brainiac approached the ship at incredible speed while invisible. Using his vast powerset, he phased into the cruiser and took a quick sitrep of the Dominators on board. They had not yet made any communication with the rest of the Dark Oval. Luck, apparently, was still on their side.

He made his way invisible to the back of the cruiser where the power generators were. Using his light powers, he used two quick blasts to short the power immediately, and using the schematics Cobalt had given him earlier that he committed to memory, he took out the communications as well.

As the Dominators began to realize what had been done and panic, he flew to the front of the ship and then with one large blast, he ripped a giant hole into the bottom of the ship, and then he exited.

Quietly, he flew back to the Fellowship. He had made sure the damage done did not destroy the ship immediately or suck all the air out of the ship either; there would be enough time for the Dominators to find a method of escape. He was no killer—they’d be alive; but their communications would be down. At least, for the amount of time they needed.



Invisible Brainiac re-entered the ship using his light powers and decided to reveal himself fully. He had a smile on his face.

“The perfect stealth assassin,” said Cobalt to him, and walked over to IB, turning to the others. “I believe you all know Invisible Brainiac.”

“Nice one IB,” said Shark Lad, adding, “though, thanks for keeping us all in the dark Cobie.”

“We thought it would be best to keep me as a secret weapon,” said Invisible Brainiac, honestly feeling this was a good strategy and hoping they’d understand.

“I’m sure they’re all glad you’re here,” said Cobalt, interjecting. He didn’t want Invisible Brainiac to make excuses for him. “I know I am.”

Lolita spoke up: “trust issues, Cobie? I thought we were trying to stop with secrets.”

“I never said that,” said Cobalt matter of factly and sat down.

Rockhopper Lad didn’t seem too pleased and Lard Lad was also surprised. Lardy said nothing yet as Lolita looked to him for a reaction. She seemed annoyed. Timberwolf smiled at the scenario, fully expecting things like this to happen along the trip.

Kalla Hrykos was not pleased. “I don’t know why the girl is so annoyed,” she said to Timberwolf, “I’m the one he obviously doesn’t trust.”

Cobalt looked at Lolita and the others and spoke: “what matters is we’re still under the radar, which is critical. I expected some more resistance and it needed to be dealt with in a way that didn’t reveal us. Invisible Brainiac accomplished exactly that. I’m sure you knew I had some tricks up my sleeves.”

“What’s it matter?” said Helena, focusing on flying through the Dark Oval. “He’s here, and we can use him since Hrun never made it on the trip.”

Lard Lad sat next to Cobalt Kid. “I hope this isn’t going to be a recurring thing…” he said to his friend.

Invisible Brainiac felt a little awkward and took a seat next to Tempest. “Welcome aboard,” she said, “the awkwardness comes and goes.”

Timberwolf had been piloting the cruiser for several hours. Helena Handbasket had stayed alongside him the entire time. He glanced at her every once in a while and was impressed by her concentration to the task at hand. He was also acutely aware of Kalla, who was still behind him watching as they progressed along their journey.

The problem was, her breathing had altered and stayed altered ever since Cobalt Kid had revealed that Invisible Brainiac was with them on the journey. His power set disturbed Kalla, and really...she had a point. his powers were the perfect mirror of her own, and showed that Cobalt Kid had planned for the possibility of Kalla not falling into line and wanted to have someone along that would follow his orders without question. Timberwolf also knew that she was not only sitting there trying to take in the sights of "home", she was trying to figure out what he himself had known about Invisible Brainiacs presence.

Lon sighed to himself and glanced back at the rest of the passengers. Most of them were sitting quietly contemplating their next destination, or talking to one another about their current situation. he shifted his eyes to Kalla and she smiled at him. It was a genuine smile, but there was a touch of real hurt in her eyes.

He glanced quickly at the controls and unbuckled himself from the chair. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said to Helena. She looked at him and nodded.

He stood and looked at Kalla, "c'mon, let's talk," he said and glanced towards one of the few rooms off the main cabin that they could have at least a little privacy. She stood and followed him.

Once he closed the door, she looked at him and bluntly asked, "you knew...didn't you?"

Lon looked her dead in the eye and said, "yeah, I did. He didn't tell me, but it's not like I cannot tell if there is another person on board, or with us as we moved along. Things like the drag of a ship taking off being off by just a minute bit. The angle of ascent was off just enough to tell me that there was extra weight on board."

She looked at him with a sense of awe that she had not felt for any man in years.

He continued, "when we were on Antiach, the dust trail that we left lasting longer than it should have. We were kicking up more particles than we should have, and the only way that was possible was if there was someone else with us at times." He breathed deep as he shut his eyes and then smiled at her. "I also know tht there have been others following us, or sticking close enough to us to keep a track on where we are. Some of them are allies of some sort, and others, as you know, do not have our best interest in mind."

"But this Invisible Brainiac is your friends way of insuring that he has someone with my power set under his control at all times. It just shows me again how much these people do not trust me." She turned away from him, "and since you didn't feel it necessary to tell me, that means that you..."

He grabbed her arms and turned her towards him. "Do not finish that sentence," he said with an almost angry look forming on his face. "I love you and trust you..." he glanced down for a second and then looked her square in the eye, "...and it's not like you don't have things that you have not told me."

Anyone else may have flinched a little with the accusation, but for Kalla, the only thing that Lon noticed was the slightest raise in her left eyebrow to tell him that she did indeed have more secrets than even he knew about.

"We are the same type of person Lon...slow to fully trust...if ever."

"You should be careful about who you trust fully though. There is intel that I have come across to show that one of your most trusted is not operating with your best interest at heart."

Her eyes narrowed. Who would dare betray me...or is he testing me, trying to get more information from me to give to Cobalt.

Kalla gathered herself and drew upon every fiber of her willpower to measure her tone and reign in her emotions. She would not break down or fly into a rage, no matter what.

"If you truly know something along those lines and are holding back information from me, then you justify my reluctance to trust you completely, Lon. Yes, I have secrets I'm keeping from you. Cobalt has far from my best interests in mind. You damn well know that! I have to protect my interests because he has every intention of turning on me as soon as he gets a chance!"

She was losing her grip on herself. Her eyes were tearing up. Her voice was breaking. She loved this man with all of her heart, and there was no separating her passion from her reason here.

"You have been his operative and his confidante for a long, long time, Lon. I want more than anything to trust you with all of my secrets--look in my eyes! You know I want to! I'm in an impossible position! What would you do if you were me?!?"

He grinned just a little. "I know exactly what I would do sweetheart. I know that we both have secrets, and so do you. What I got though...I just received within the last few minutes before bringing you back here. Cobie does not even know about this..."

He handed her his Omnicom, and on it was a very recent communication sent between one of the resistance and Juj. It spoke of the backup plan that was underway on Earth 4, and how it needed to be completed sooner than expected because she was closer than they had initially thought.

He waited until she completed reading it. "I don't know what is going on, but it sounds like Juj has people on Earth 4 and that they have something planned...something that I do not believe is in our best interest." He took the Omnicom back and deleted the message. "This goes no further than us unless you tell me that you want him to know. There's nothing concrete here, but it gives me a bad feeling. I have some of my agents working their way through various organizations trying to find out what is happening...but it is a slow process. I don't think that we'll get much more info before we get to Earth 4. Infiltration takes time...and time is something we do not have a lot of."

Kalla listened to him, and was weighing his words carefully. "Don't you mean Cobie and your people are being sent in?"

Lon bit his bottom lip a little and then continued, "No. I mean mine. We operate together, but we both have our own networks. The only way to guarantee that we get as much intel as we can. There are at least two agents that we share...not sure if he knows that though, probably does." He smiled and laughed a little. "Look, Cobalt really trusts very few people. He gives people things that make them think he trusts them...but he is trying to cover anything that he can think of with several backup plans. Usually, I am those backup plans...but this time, I am too close to the issue for him to rely on me being that option. He hasn't even addressed it with me, because he knows my answer. He also knows that he has to plan carefully, because I can see through just about everything that he comes up with. He's good...but, you know."

She grinned. "You two are an interesting team."

"You have no idea. I trust him with my life...I also trust you with my life as well. If you tell me that this is nothing...or that..." he paused and gazed directly into her eyes, "...or that you know what this is about...than we proceed with no concern. Think about it, and tell me when you're ready. I'll know what you're talking about."

He leaned in and gave her a kiss. "I really do love you Kalla, and I trust you."

He turned, opened the door and went back to the copilot seat.

The Dominion,
The Dark Oval

Once again, the sheer scope of the journey began to overtake the Fellowship as the hours aboard the space cruiser became days; the Fellowship drifted into silence, concentrating on moving forward and fighting exhaustion and weariness.

“Up ahead,” said Lard Lad, glad to be the one to break the monotony, “that is where the fuel station will be. We’re just about out and we can refuel there; we can acquire enough to see us all the way Hul.”

“Is it some sort of fueling station?” asked Shark Lad.

Lard Lad nodded. “More like a space-harbor. An otherwise desolate planet that over the centuries has become a center for passing merchant and military ships, providing fuel, tools, food and other retail items. It’s very useful though exactly the kind of dangerous place we need to be extra careful. The Dominators call it Xom.”

Kalla Hrykos gave some more detail, since she was the only one of the Fellowship to have visited the destination before. “You’ll find mainly Dominators there though there are also other Dark Oval races passing through if they pay the Dominators a toll. You’ll also find the various races the Dominators have conquered but have now been enlisted on their front lines and there receive some additional privileges in traveling around the Dominion.”

“The bottom line is,” said Cobalt Kid cutting in, “we cannot be scene there. We need to refuel and then get out. So most of us, unfortunately, have to stay on the ship.”

At those words, just about everyone of them moaned a little, annoyed that they’d be stuck on board for even longer.

“I know,” said Cobalt, “but that’s the way it is. Timberwolf and Tempest can handle this, and Invisible Brainiac can be by their side in secret.”

“I think I’d be of some use here,” said Kalla Hrykos to Cobalt Kid directly. Her tone was not harsh but it was definitely forceful. “My glamour kept me hidden on Legion World for months undetected—it certainly should do the trick for half an hour on Xom. With another form, I think I’d be more useful than some others,” she said.

The Fellowship looked at Cobalt, wondering if this would turn into some sort of power struggle. Cobalt preferred to save that battle for later if need be, and acquiesced. “Certainly, that makes sense. You can join Tempest and IB then.” He quickly decided that if she was to go, he’d make sure it was not with Timberwolf, so she was forced to interact with the others.

She smiled and nodded. “Excellent.”

Lolita looked at Tempest to see what her reaction was to be spending time with Kalla, thinking the two did not get along. But despite her gift for analysis, Tempest did not let one her feelings one way or another.

Lard Lad turned to Timberwolf and noticed he looked a little annoyed. Cobalt evidently did not notice.

Timberwolf spoke now: “Cobie, why don’t the two of us back them up? We’ll linger behind, let them do their business but keep them in our line of sight. A few espionage veterans like ourselves can stay undetected.” Timberwolf’s tone implied this was something he really wanted Cobalt to do and Cobalt picked up on it right away.

“Good idea. Let’s prepare to dock then.”

Power Boy looked at Lard Lad and shook his head. “You mortals are amusing…” he said.



Xom, the Dominion

The space cruiser docked and the others remained inside, as Tempest, Kalla Hrykos and Invisible Brainiac—the latter invisible—journeyed outwards to the refueling station. Neither woman said a word though once outside of earshot, the others could see them conversing.

“I’d give more than a few credits to hear that conversation,” said Time-Teller Lad to Rockhopper Lad.

Timberwolf and Cobalt Kid also left the ship behind them, keeping their distance and subtly drifting into the crowd, and eventually the shadows. Cobalt wore his gray cloak and covered his face.

“Cobie,” said Timberwolf after some silence. “We really need to talk.”

Cobalt nodded in the dark. “I know,” he said. Silence followed for several moments. Finally Cobalt spoke: “I assume you knew about Invisible Brainiac?”

“Pretty much immediately,” said Timberwolf, suppressing a grin. “I assume you knew I knew?” he said back to Cobalt.

“Of course,” replied Cobalt with his own smile. Neither said it but both were amused by the exchange of dialogue because it summed up their professional relationship perfectly. For years now, the two acted in secret, involved in espionage and spy games around the galaxies. They trusted one another implicitly—and for each one, that was a major, major thing because trust did not come easy, if at all, for them.

Yet, just because they trusted one another did not mean their conversations were frank and full of explanations. Cobalt was man who lived in secrets and often he would forego explaining things to people, including his own trusted agent, Lon. He left things out, he didn’t confirm and he didn’t offer up truths. But he knew Timberwolf would learn these things on his own, and he trusted Timberwolf completely would do exactly the right thing when he gained that knowledge. Right thing meaning, what Cobalt would do.

Likewise, Timberwolf fully expected Cobalt to keep secrets, maintain facades and offer little in terms of explanations. But he trusted him completely and knew their motivations were squarely in line. He also knew he would use his skills to learn what he needed to—or what he wanted to—and Cobalt would understand and expect that.

It wasn’t a game and it wasn’t fun. It was how they were and it worked.

And then came Kalla Hrykos.

Somewhere along the way Timberwolf and Kalla Hrykos had fallen in love and those feelings were genuine. Love was an unexpected, illogical and uncompromising thing.

Cobalt hated Kalla Hrykos and saw her as nothing but a killer and nemesis to the LMB and Legion World. If it were up to him, he would use her for all she was worth and then destroy her. His LMB brethren only knew Cobalt’s true feelings to his enemies to a certain extent, not realizing how far he would actually go. But Timberwolf knew. He knew exactly how far he’d go.

Timberwolf had two loyalties now: to the love of his life, Kalla Hrykos, and to the ideals he shared with Cobalt. And the two appeared to be in conflict.

“Invisible Brainiac was a good play,” said Timberwolf. “Powerful, loyal and one of the few truly pure of heart.” Cobalt nodded. “And his powerset is exactly what you need to counter Kalla.”

“Exactly,” said Cobalt, not hiding anything. “I couldn’t trust her, afterall.”

Cobalt’s frankness with Timberwolf was welcome yet Timberwolf couldn’t help but be annoyed at his friend talking about the love of his life like that. “Cobie,” he said, “what are you intentions with Kalla?” It was the question of all questions and it had come out at last.

Cobalt looked strait ahead and considered his reply. “I certainly don’t intend for her to rule the Dark Oval once we take it down,” he said at first. “Not Earth-4, not the Dominion, not any of the other powers.” He knew that was only a partial answer, but he asked a question back. “What are yours?” he said, offering a loaded question.

Timberwolf felt annoyed by the lack of an answer and as one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy, his mood changing would mean Cobalt was entering very dangerous territory. “Cobie…” he said, considering his next words, “…I’m with you all the way on this…but if you think I’ll let her be killed…”

Cobalt felt the tension rising but suddenly, something caught his eye. His focus suddenly shifted; he was a man who was not surprised easily yet now his jaw dropped. And red fury filled his face.

Timberwolf noticed immediately and looked forward. He recognized the Dominator in their sight from the shadows. “Outcaste,” he said quietly.



From his earliest days in the LMB, one of Cobalt Kid’s most well-known girlfriends was known as Debauchery Damsel. She was Erika Kr’n, a famous socialite who partied hard with the early LMB and by helping Cobalt gain his “lady’s man” reputation, ruined her own. After the first year of partying with the Legionnaires, she eventually left Earth, her reputation in tatters, and journeyed elsewhere in the United Planets. She eventually drifted to Ventura, where she became immersed in gambling debts, and soon after, became hooked on lotus fruit. Hers was not a pleasant story.

In the LMB’s second year, Erika got herself involved in an even worse predicament. To get herself out of debt, she became involved in selling UP secrets on the black market, and eventually, the buyers turned out to be the Dominators.

At her lowest point, she turned to her one time boyfriend, Cobalt Kid. He stepped in to help her but ultimately, failed and was caught instead. It was then that after a year of gambling, drugs and betrayal, Debauchery Damsel regained her composure and did something heroic: she saved him from the Dominators. But it cost her a great price: her life.

The Dominator who killed her was a scientist who hated humanoid aliens. Using his experimental brain-defiler, he blasted her and rendered her brain dead, and took great pleasure in it. Later, he would experiment on himself to become an Unkillable, but in doing so, brought on great consternation from his Dominator peers. He thought he was on the cutting edge of science; they thought he had crossed a line and become unpure. They stripped him of his rank and citizenship and proclaimed him to no longer be a member of the Caste. Hereafter, he was known as “Outcaste”.

Outcaste had not seen Cobalt Kid and the LMB since murdering Erika Kr’n in the year 3001. He never knew that in Cobalt Kid’s heart, there was a burning hatred for him and that one day, Cobalt Kid swore he would get his revenge. Outcaste did not know that because of his actions, Cobalt Kid has a personal hatred for the Dominators; it was a hatred that influenced all of his decisions when it came to the Dark Oval, for Cobalt felt he was duty bound to gain vengeance on them. These were things no one knew.

And now, Cobalt Kid saw Outcaste for the first time and recognized him immediately despite the similarity to the other Dominators.



“At last,” said Cobalt under his breath. When Cobalt was overcome with fury, he had an odd tendency to become very cold and unemotional. He did not scream with rage or act uncontrollably. He became very measured. It was his most disconcerting temperament.

“Cobie,” said Timberwolf immediately. “You can’t. I know you want to, but you simply can’t. Too much relies on it now.”

Cobalt stared forward. “We could probably take him out if we followed him to where he was going,” said Cobalt. “The two of us have unfinished business.”

Timberwolf knew he had mere moments to sort this out and took a different approach. “It comes down to this then, doesn’t it?” he said angrily. “Do you practice what you preach?”

Cobalt turned to him, his face cold and angry. “What do you mean?”

“You expect us all to sacrifice everything, even love. You claim its for the greater good and you convince us to believe in it. But do you actually believe it? Would you sacrifice our safety—the entire quest—for a moment of revenge?”

Cobalt said nothing.

“Well?” Timberwolf pushed. He was no longer just feigning anger—he was really feeling it.

Cobalt exhaled, taking control of himself. “No,” he said at last. “No, I wouldn’t.”

Neither said nothing now as Cobalt regained his composure. Outcaste soon went out of view. At last the silence broke. “My intentions with Kalla…” said Cobalt, as if the conversation was never interrupted, “…are at this point, unclear,” he said at last. “I know what I can’t let happen—won’t let happen—but I don’t know what must happen.”

Timberwolf nodded. “Okay,” he said at last.

“What I don’t want,” said Cobalt directly to him now, looking eye to eye, “is for us to be at odds.”

Timberwolf looked back. “I hope it never comes to that.”

As they looked ahead, they saw Tempest and Kalla Hrykos beginning to return. Without a word, the two began to move back to the space cruiser.

“Lon,” said Cobalt, as Timberwolf turned back. “Thank you,” he said.

Timberwolf grinned and turned back.

Dominion Space, The Dark Oval

Soon after Cobalt Kid and the others had returned to the cruiser and the Fellowship had resumed their course toward the Dominion, Lard Lad had finally taken his friend aside and filled him in on everything that Lucifer Lass and Eryk Davis Ester had told him on Sumra.

After he’d finished, Lardy saw a look on Cobalt’s face he never expected to see: one of doubt and uncertainty. It was a look that very few who knew Cobalt had ever seen him have. Not only was there a kind of haze in his eyes, but his posture was different, with his shoulders slightly slumped. What Lardy had said was totally unexpected for him. Cobalt Kid simply did not do ‘unexpected‘.

“Look, Des,” Lardy spoke up after a long pause, “it’s no big deal. We’ve got grand-pappy’s eyeball, and we know what we need to do at least.” Lardy held up his locket for emphasis.

“I know, Lardy,” Cobalt replied, “but I was so sure I knew who the Dark Lord was…”

“You thought it was Pornis, didn’t you,” Lardy asserted as the realization dawned on him. “When were you gonna share your suspicion with me?”

“When I was absolutely sure, Lardy. I didn’t want to put you through that for nothing.”

“Des, I’m a big boy, okay? I’m also your best friend! You know you can trust me, right? I…even told you about those dreams…”

“You’re right again, of course. I…I need to tell you about C.J. Did Lucy or Eryk mention him?”

Lardy was confused. “C.J. Taylor?” Cobalt nodded. “No, they didn’t.” Lardy thought for a moment about C.J., the mysterious LMBer known as Enigma. “What about him?”

“I’m pretty certain he’s your and Eryk’s half-brother, Lardy. I’ve suspected for a long time that he was another son of Pornis, and I’ve been collecting evidence over the past few years.”

Lardy was aghast. “Well, damn, Des--my family tree just keeps getting bigger and more complicated! Next thing you know, I’ll have cousins, twice removed, showing up and looking to squat in the Lair!" He chuckled nervously and asked the obvious follow-up question. "So...if Pornis is the dad, then who’s C.J.'s mom?”

“I suspect it’s Mala.”

“Mala?!?” Lardy was taken aback. Mala was the mother of two women who’d each had a great impact on his life. Dru was his wife and perhaps his greatest love. Mordra was the worst enemy he’d ever had. Mordra had driven Lardy to kill her, and Mala bore part of the responsibility for Dru’s murder. Another person Lardy had killed was Mala’s ex-husband (and Dru and Morda’s father) Mordru in the aftermath of Dru’s death. Mala’s current husband was Romaltus, Cobalt’s uncle and betrayer of Epsilon Sector. Finally, Lardy said bluntly, “I guess she gets around.”

“Definitely!” Cobalt agreed with a slight grin. “We’ll get to her and my uncle before all is said and done. Meanwhile, I‘ve got people protecting C.J. Your revelation of who the Dark Lord is doesn‘t lessen the potential danger to him or to the rest of your family.”

“Yeah, I’m glad that Helen and the kids are with Dev’s family and Darden.” Lardy remembered his 'dream' about them and hoped all were safe.

He noticed that Cobalt was beginning to normalize some. His eyes were more confident and his posture had resumed its normal state. But Lardy noted what he’d observed. It was subtle but scary for him because Lardy had had to lean on his friend as a pillar of strength through all of Lardy’s seemingly endless travails. He knew Cobalt desired control over all things and that there was no way a mission as dangerous and complex as this one would go according to plan. Cobalt might need him this time. Lardy hoped he wouldn’t let his friend down if it came to that.

Cobalt broke the silence. “Lardy, I just wanted you to know that I’m happy that you’ve had a chance to connect with Lucy and Eryk. I know that means a lot to you.”

“Yeah,” Lardy replied, “I’m feeling pretty lucky, these days. Two great kids, long lost siblings poppin' up left and right…and I've got the best friend in the universe, bar none.” He put his hand on Cobalt’s shoulder for a moment. “Now, let’s get back to the others before they suspect we’re making out!”

Both laughed, and Lardy was the first to exit. Cobalt lingered for an extra moment. His grin turned into a frown, and the uncertain look his friend had observed returned again. He shook his head, composed himself and followed his friend into the main passenger area.

Timber Wolf was dozing lightly aboard the cruiser when he felt a hand brushing gently against his cheek.

“Whuh?” he said wearily and opened his eyes. He already knew whose touch had roused him from her scent. But even without enhanced senses, a man knows the touch of his lady.

“It’s time, Lon,” said Kalla Hrykos.

He nodded, and the couple adjourned to the relative privacy of the small room they’d used to discuss their trust issues the previous day.

As he closed the door, Kalla embraced him tightly, and he reciprocated. I hope this isn’t the last time he welcomes my touch after what I have to tell him, she thought.

She reluctantly broke their embrace and looked around furtively. “Lon...do you think this room is secure?”

“Give me some credit, Kalla. If there were any bugs in here, I’d sense its minute workings. This room is clean!”

“Even Cobalt...?”

“...doesn’t have any tech or tricks that could fool me!” he laughed. “I’m the best there is at what I d--”

“Oh, hush, Fuzzy--your bragging is insufferable!” She giggled as she teased him. In actuality, his bragging kind of turned her on...and he knew it! Her smile faded quickly, though, as she struggled with the weight and possible consequences of what she was about to say.

Lon sensed Kalla’s tension. Again, it didn’t take superhuman senses for him to notice this. If you’re part of a couple long enough, it comes easily. He didn’t want her to suffer working up her nerve, so he took her hands into his and said, “just tell me, Kalla.”

“Oh, Fuzzy, it’s hard for me. I’m on the edge of a cliff, and I’m about to either jump off--or you’ll want to push me off!”

“Either way, I’ll catch you,” he assured her while looking her right in the eyes. “I promise.”

She nodded, took a deep breath and began. “First of all, Lon. That thing you intercepted--it wasn’t a betrayal. Juj is following my orders to the letter. I have operatives among the resistance on Earth-4, and they are executing a secret mission on my behalf.” She paused and hesitated before continuing.

“What’s the nature of the mission?” he urged her to continue.

“It’s a contingency mission, Lon...one I’d planned before I ever came to Legion World to find Lard Lad. The contingency was originally designed to take out another member of the Dark Oval Elite. Lard Lad had already taken out Dominion’s Pinnacle Command and replaced him with Juj, as you know. The next step was for him to replace Wyandotte in the Hive. Then, Lard Lad ‘died‘, and that portion of the plan was put on hold indefinitely.”

“When the existence of a rebellion on Earth-4 came to our attention, Juj, Phe’Be and I saw an opportunity to move against the Emperor Pyngwyn and supported their insurgency with intel, weapons and funding. With that ’in’ to their rebellion, it was simplicity for Juj to insert some of his fellow Durlans and have them blend in. Eventually, we were able to get in the components of a very powerful weapon to Earth-4, with the goal to eventually assemble and position it so it could be used...most effectively.”

“What kind of weapon are we talking here, Kalla? Some kind of biological agent? A dirty bomb? Chemical? What is it?”

Kalla broke eye contact and shook her head. “You know what a nega-bomb is, I trust?”

Lon’s jaw dropped just a little, and his eyes couldn’t help but widen ever so slightly. Despite his training, he could not help but react just a little. “Nega-bombs? Caracalla used those to destroy the old Black Sun planet before he founded the Khanate! You didn’t--!”

“Yes, Lon,” she said quietly, “we got a hold of an especially powerful one. My operatives are placing it near Earth-4’s core. If set off...it would likely destroy Earth-4.”

Lon shut his eyes for a moment. His mind was racing through the possibilities. There was a nega-bomb at the center of the planet that they were eventually going to. This was not something that he would have anticipated, and that bothered him almost more than the gravity of the situation.

When he finally opened his eyes a few seconds later, Kalla could have sworn it had been hours.

"Well," he said finally, "guess you weren't planning on keeping Earth-4 as a vacation spot, huh." He managed a half grin.

Her eyes widened, and she felt a wave of relief, but not a fully realized sense of relief because his face showed concern as well.

"I cannot say that this wrinkle thrills me darling, but it is what it is. Obviously, Cobalt cannot know about this...under any circumstances...not that you were going to run an tell him. This would put him over the edge with you."

Kalla started relaxing a bit more at the implications of what he was saying. He was taking this extremely well!

"What is the trigger system, and who has it?" Lon asked.

"The leader of the infiltration squad carries a subspace transmitter. It can only be activated if myself, Juj or Phe'Be transmit the code to him. No one else knows the code."

She looked down for a moment. "Lon, our intent was always to use it. But more and more, I'm thinking I don't really want to." She looked into his eyes. "I would rather use it as a deterrant...and as leverage should Cobalt think about stabbing me in the back. Lon, I can't lose Hrykosia! It's my birthright...and my home."

"I know honey. I haven't figured out how yet, but don't worry about that end of this whole thing right now. Cobie does not want you in power...but there may be ways around that. Leave that to me...okay?"

He reached out and took her hand.

"Trust me. You'll not lose Hrykosia. I promise you that. There may be a way to pull this off that is beneficial to everyone," he said as he drew her in and kissed her.

After a moment, they embraced and Kalla lay her head on his shoulder. She felt happy and content having shared her burden with the man she loved. Whatever would happen, from this point she would always be honest with Lon. She whispered to him softly, "no more secrets."

And she meant it.

As the journey continued on, much of the tension slowly had left the room, and even a sense of boredom settled in with some of the Fellowship. Until at long last, the words they were waiting for had been spoke. It was Helena Handbasket who spoke them: “We’re now approaching Hul.”

Lard Lad sat up strait from the back, as Rockhopper Lad shook off some of his sleepiness. Cobalt Kid, who had been going over mission details with Lolita, looked forward and stood up.

“It begins shortly,” said Cobalt. “Everything we do must be timed perfectly; we have to be surgical and totally proficient. We get one shot at this, and if we fail, then its time to pack up and go home because the entire quest relies on us achieving this goal.”



The Dominion was one-fifth of the Dark Oval, and it was the largest fifth. Over the centuries, the Dominators had carved out a vast empire of planets which they controlled, many which were completely subservient to them, and others that acted as vassal-states with their own subservient planets. The Dominators themselves, other than delegates and overseers on those controlled planets; while there was almost three dozen planets within the territory, the Dominators only lived on three of them.

The capital of the Dominion was Elia, the home-planet of the Dominators, which was still the cultural and social center. Elia was where the High Caste Leader kept his residence, and where all the high born castes were. However, decades earlier, Elia had become more of a symbol than an actual base of operations.

The real political, administrative and military capital was Hul, which was positioned much closer to the United Planets and the Contested Territories. Hul was where all of the military brass lived and worked, and was where the vast Dominator empire was administered. Communications and orders came top-down from Elia, but they were acted on and put into effect on Hul. If one could control Hul, one could gain the Dominion.

The Dominators were ruthless, logical and beyond all else, efficient. While they were not the greatest warriors on the battlefield, they were certainly the greatest strategists in waging war. To overtake them relied completely on surprise; you would have to outflank them rather than meet them on the battlefield.



“Hul is a vast planet,” said Lolita to the Fellowship, “but its mostly wasteland. The majority of the population lives in a large military center, which is where we’ll be going. The barracks, which houses the majority of their foot soldiers, is several miles away from the Command Center, where we’ll be engaging in our mission. So initially, we won’t have much resistance; the longer it takes to complete our mission, the more danger we are in, as hundreds of soldiers—possibly thousands—we’ll be on route. So time is not on our side.”

“We will split into two groups,” said Cobalt Kid. “The first group is a ‘shock and awe’ group with the intentions of providing a decoy distraction; this is where our heavy hitters will do some damage. Rockhopper Lad and Lard Lad will lead Shark Lad, Power Boy, Tempest and Invisible Brainiac”. He looked at them all. “I suspect after the initial surprise and damage is done, they’ll come at you hard with their own brand of weaponry. We know their major assets are (A) technology and (B) their super-army of Unkillables, mutated super-soldiers with advanced strength, speed and endurance. How many are actually on Hul is information that we have been unable to collect.”

As Cobalt spoke, the “heavy hitters” looked around and nodded at one another. Power Boy smiled at Lard Lad, ready for battle, and Lard Lad couldn’t help but return the smile feeling his enthusiasm. Tempest said nothing, considering in her mind what her own plan of attack would be. Shark Lad, who had been couped up for what felt like weeks, couldn’t wait to unleash. Invisible Brainiac looked to Rockhopper Lad, LMB Leader, and followed his lead; Rockhopper Lad stood strait up and said nothing, waiting for Cobalt to finish his report to them.

“The second group will be about stealth; infiltrating the Command Center and bringing down the Dominion. With me will be Time-Teller Lad, Lolita, Helena Handbasket, Timberwolf and Kalla Hrykos.” Cobalt finished, but the Fellowship waited and said nothing. Cobalt had referred to his plan several times but until now, he had not revealed it in full. Lolita suspected it was because he didn’t trust Kalla Hrykos; Timberwolf knew it was because he didn’t trust anyone.

He continued. “Our mission is three-fold,” he said. “First, bring down their technology; second, break down their communication and chain of command; and last, we open up the Dominion to outside invaders, giving them entry all the way to Hul for the first time in one thousand years. General Bellassarius of the UP and other allies are on standby to begin the invasion at our signal.”

Lolita spoke up now, supplementing Cobalt’s explanation. “The Dominators will fall but it won’t take them long to regroup. As the UP forces begin their invasion and the Dark Oval now is fighting a war within their own territory, we will exit the Dominion and move forward. But this blitzkrieg strategy will effectively take the Dominion out of the game.”

Kalla Hrykos, who over the course of the last few weeks felt the tension between herself and Cobalt Kid growing, couldn’t help but admire the strategy. When engaged in these military and espionage matters, Cobalt Kid was cold, calculating and almost heartless in his logic. He was creating a second front for the war, putting trillions of lives in peril. Perhaps they were not so different after all?



On Hul, in the barren wasteland beyond the Dominator military city, were numerous quarries of rocks, creating a jagged terrain that was uninviting and cruel. Life could not survive in this vast sector of Hul. Yet, one living being spent time there now.

Titus sat in quiet contemplation, patiently waiting for events to progress. He looked at the many stars and could not help but suppress a smile to his lips. Great, awful violence was coming. The titillation caused by the waiting was arousing.

The Legionnaires were an intelligent, brave and lucky bunch. But they had not counted on him.

Weber’s World,
The United Planets

Spellbinder walked through the hallways of Weber’s World, en route to the Senate to once again give an update on the state of the Universe and discuss / debate the next steps. There was progress on many fronts, while in other places, such as Imsk, there was the opposite. With so many Ambassadors away on business, she was amazed at how empty the halls were.

“Damn you Princess,” said a voice, causing her to turn and see the magnificent looking Ambassador Mirenna Helene. “Going on no sleep for three days and still looking positively divine.”

Princess Crujectra bowed, as was polite, but did not say anything. She liked Mirenna quite a bit, but was always cautious around someone so dangerous. “I’m glad you’re back Ambassador,” she said at last. “Things are still very touch and go, and at this time, Bellisarius continues to hold a large portion of his troops in reserve.”

“I’m aware,” said Mirenna. “I believe our suspicions are correct.”

Spellbinder replied, knowing what she meant immediately: “he’s waiting from a signal from Cobie to begin the invasion. He’s willing to sacrifice the UP’s safety to gain his glory in the Dark Oval at long last.”

“Let’s just hope he’s successful then,” said Mirenna.

Crujectra watched as Mirenna walked away, again surprised by her calculating way. She wondered if her influence on Cobie was more than she originally thought.

Ducking down a hallway that was empty, Princess Crujectra took a moment to do her own check on the progress of events in the Dark Oval. She concentrated very deeply, searching out with her telepathy across the galaxies to find the one person she was most connected to.

Cobalt Kid and Spellbinder shared a telepathic link—something so strong that many believed it was the equivalent of spiritual marriage. With a super-powerful telepath like Crujectra, it meant the link extended even beyond planets, though the distance between Weber’s World and the Dark Oval was so far that it was close to breaking. Still, she could feel the faintest hints of the link and it gave her some relief. He was alive, and he was well. She could detect his adrenaline was up, which could mean a number of things; but she was sure it was likely danger.

She was already very worried for him, and their other LMB allies, but this reinforced the worry. She could only hope the danger was his own doing and his plan was working. In the meantime, all she could do was help the United Planets.



United Planets Space – Gathering of the UP Fleets

General Bellasarius waited patiently, his crew knowing by now not to disturb him. He overlooked the monitors which pointed outwards, beyond the United Planets and the Contested Territories and the Dark Oval. It was almost time now and he was as ready as ever.

The wait was killing him. He was a patient man but had his limits. Soon, he told himself. Soon. The signal would be given and the counter-invasion would begin. The war would gain a second front, this one right where the Dark Oval least desired it, in their homes.

It was a gamble, holding many of his fleets in reserve for this opportunity, while the citizens of the UP suffered from invasion. But if they could bring the fight to the Dominators and the rest of the Oval, and cause some real damage, it would be worth it. And then his name would be held in the highest esteem and the glory of the fall of the Dark Oval would be his.

Outside of the office, the elder soldier known as Kilrain checked in on the General but said nothing. He was his subordinate but also his friend. And he worried about the gamble the General was taking.



United Planets Space – LMBP Cruiser

“Things look grim,” said Dedman, looking at the monitor screens. “Daroon appears to be the epicenter of the worst of it. But the fighting is all over.”

“Legion World seems to be okay,” said Maxx, “for now. No real disturbances yet. We’re all spread so thin, I’ll take that as good news.”

Four LMBers were on board a ship, off on a mission only the LMB Leader, Rockhopper Lad, Deputy Leader Fanfic Lady, and Cobalt Kid knew about. They were Crusader, LMB Founder, Maxx, his sorcerer lover, Dedman, and Kid Vudoo.

“Legion World still has several LMBers present,” said Crusader, who was piloting the ship, “and the citizens there have proved tougher than we’ve given them credit there before. But what really worries me is the rest of the UP. Something else else needs to happen, and soon. I hope this gamble Cobalt Kid has taken pays off.”

They all nodded and Dedman replies. “I hate sitting here waiting, but I know it will be important. When the signal comes, we’ll enter the Oval and retrieve her,” he said. “And then we can be go help the UP wherever we’re needed.”

“Exactly,” said Crusader. “We need to ensure the safety of one of our own first.” He turned to the fourth member of their crew. “See anything Vu?”

“Not yet,” said Kid Vudoo, using his vision abilities to see far into the Dark Oval, beyond the planets and stars, meteor swarms and other debris. “The battle on Hul has not yet begun.”

“Then we wait longer,” said Crusader.



Café Carmer,
Legion World

“Caramel Macchiato coming right up,” said the girl at the counter at Café Cramer, turning to make the drink the patron had ordered.

Standing in line was the infamous Umber, Legion World socialite and perhaps its greatest shopper.

“Your usual, Umber?” said Fat Cramer, leaping onto the counter in her cat form. In this form she was small in size, but her reputation and the respect she from the citizens of Legion World was still immense. She was the owner of this establishment, one of the most famous on Legion World.

“Lulz, of course!” she said, with a giggle.

Fat Cramer found it amusing but did not reply, continuing to walk across the counter and then jumping down into the Café, walking across to another famous patron, seated at a booth. “Good morning, Lash,” she said.

“Hey FC,” he said back with a smile. He was trying to blend in but it was difficult as people were staring.

“Still watching her, then?” she asked him.

“Yup,” he said. “And I’m beginning to suspect I’m not the only one…”

Lash Lad didn’t continue but Fat Cramer took the hint. Umber was being followed by someone dangerous.



United Planets Space – Aboard a UP Cruiser

The four LMBers on board had been silent for some time, each thinking their own thoughts on why CJ Taylor was so important to the Dominators. They had their own theories—like many other LMBers had their own theories on CJ’s origins—but they did not voice them. At last, the silence was broke.

“Where exactly are we going, Space Ranger?” said CJ Taylor to mighty LMBer, who was standing by My Whee Fem, the pilot of the cruiser. “You said ‘somewhere safe’, but what does that mean exactly?”

“Yea Pard,” said Raging Bull, “we been with ya for a few days now and we still have no clue. Mind letting us know what the big plan is?”

Space Ranger replied: “we’re off to see a friend of ours,” he said. “And then, I’m afraid your journey continues alone, CJ.”

Raging Bull and CJ Taylor looked at each other with their eyebrows raised. “Don’t like the sound of that…” said Raging Bull, but CJ said nothing.

Hul, the Dominion
The Dark Oval

Hul was a vast network of command centers and military bases, housing a never-ending series of Dominators who worked efficiently at their jobs of maintaining and expanding their vast empire of subservient and brutalized races. The Dominators were so focused and proficient at their tasks that it was difficult for them to be distracted. And for the first time, this proved invaluable to agents of the United Planets.

Timberwolf, one of the greatest espionage agents in the known and unknown space, led half of the Fellowship forward through the shadows and out of sight. Behind him followed the others: Kalla Hrykos, Cobalt Kid, Lolita, Time-Teller Lad and Helena Handbasket. The two groups of the Fellowship had parted ways hours earlier and the other half of the group lie in wait. At the predetermined time, they would ‘unleash hell’ on the military structure of Hul and set a series of events into motion.

“Eighteen minutes, forty-two seconds,” said Time-Teller Lad in a whisper to Cobalt Kid, alerting him to the time before the coordinated strike began.

Cobalt nodded. They were slightly ahead of schedule which was good. He turned to Helena Handbasket, who was also by his side. “Plant not slowing you down?”

She grinned, which told him ‘no’. “I hope you don’t expect me to carry this throughout the entire Dark Oval,” she replied, “especially since I don’t know why we’re bringing the Dominators a house-warming gift.”

Cobalt smiled back. “You won’t be carrying it much longer,” he said. “And the only gifts I ever bring anyone are Trojan Horses,” he added.

Up ahead, Lolita noticed two Dominator guards blocking the path. To go around them meant risking exposure in the light and being picked up by cameras or motion detectors. Up until now they hadn’t had that problem—now they would have to confront them. “How should we…” she began to Kalla Hrykos, who was near her.

“Shh, child,” said Kalla Hrykos, not looking back but holding her hand to cut off her words. “Just watch.”

Ahead, Timberwolf took out the took guards in one fluid motion that was so fast, Lolita wasn’t completely sure how he did it. She was also unsure if he rendered them unconscious of killed them. With Timberwolf, you never knew.



Fifteen minutes later, the Fellowship reached a critical intersection in the thoroughfare. “It’s about time to make our move,” said Cobalt Kid to them.

Lolita explained for Cobalt. “Up ahead is the key command center and control room, which directs and supervises control of all Dominator fleets, flight plans and communication. It also is the key point in the chain of command from Elia to the troops. Our goal will be to take it completely, and from there, Cobie has something he will do.”

“How do you have this intel?” asked Helena.

Lolita answered: “our new ally helped us in this regard.” Lolita blatantly giving Kalla Hyrkos the credit made her feel good. Until now, Cobalt Kid had not openly disclosed exactly how valuable her intel had been in the Dark Oval.

“So we’ll be going in a matter of minutes,” said Helena.

“Seconds actually,” said Time-Teller Lad.

“Not everyone,” said Cobalt Kid, surprising them. “Timberwolf has his own mission while we accomplish this. A critical element has to be taken off the board.”

“What?” said Lolita, surprised. “You didn’t mention…”

She looked over and by now, Timberwolf was already gone.

“Fifteen seconds,” said Time-Teller Lad.

“But where…?”

“Timberwolf’s job is Pinnacle Command now,” said Cobalt. “We’ll have to bring down the Command Center without him. Don’t worry though, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of fun,” he smiled and then turned to Time-Teller Lad.

“Now,” said Time-Teller Lad in almost a whisper.

With the assault on the military base about to commence, SharkLad found his thoughts wandering back to his last moments with Lolita. After Cobalt Kid had announced the division in the groups, SharkLad had pulled Lolita aside to talk.

“Say, what’s wrong? I thought you’d be itching to fight,” Lolita said.

“I am, I just didn’t count on us getting separated.”

“Aw, ya big lug, are you actually worried about me? Look, I can take care of myself. I did for a long time before you were ever in the picture,” Lolita said teasingly. “Besides, I’ll be with—”

“Cobalt. Exactly. Convenient that you ended up with him.”

“Now, wait a minute. You go from being concerned about my safety to being jealous about me and Cobalt? You’re being ridiculous!”

“Am I? Then why don’t you join my team?” SharkLad asked.

“Your team? I don’t fit in there. I’m better suited to the other mission.”

“Yeah, with Cobalt.”

“Is this really how you want things to go down between us before you head out? You’re about to get into something pretty heavy, and you need to keep your head in the game.”

“Sounds like you care more about the mission than you do about us.”

“Ya know what? I’m done. You can think whatever you want. When this is all over, you’ll see just how ridiculous you’re being!” Lolita said angrily.

Lolita then stormed off, and now, as SharkLad and the others prepared for their assault on the military base, he couldn’t help but wonder how he let himself get so worked up.

"Something else else ain't right with me lately," SharkLad said to himself with a low growl.

“Hey, Sharky! You ready?” called Lard Lad suddenly.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” SharkLad answered, glad for the distraction from his thoughts.

SharkLad lumbered towards the others.

“Gotta keep my head clear,” he mumbled to himself.

Power Boy punched SharkLad in the shoulder.

“This is it, man. Are we going to see you go all 'frenzy' out there?”

“You know it," SharkLad answered. "Just say ‘go.’”

LMBP Headquarters...


“Ohmygod! What's like happening in there?” Everyday Girl reached Outdoor Miner's side a split second ahead of Lash, “and what do the Xanth Books have to do with it?”

“Nothing is happening right now, time is 'frozen' in there. But it's bad, real bad.” OM looked around the assembled group, his compound eyes glazed from the effort required to negate the distance between the hallway and the office and pass through the Chronal Energy Barrier. “We only get one shot to fix this people, It'll take all I've got to get in there again.”

Lash looked down at the obviously shaken Miner, “We need more info here pal, Xanth? Real Bad? Those things don't tell me much.”

“The staffer was a plant, an assassin, a good one. Lightning Lad is down, looks dead, crushed skull. Fanfic has a stiletto in her throat, still upright. Looks like she called up this kid, calls himself 'The Dastaro' or something like that, at the last second. Problem is; he thinks I'm some kind of 'monster' and is demanding to see the 'princesses' before he'll do anything more than he has.”

Lash, Ram Boy, and OM all turned to look at Brit & Emily. “I've read most of the Xanth Books,” Ram Boy started “this guy could be 'The Dastard.' If he is; you two are our best shot at getting him to help.”

“Selfish, arrogant, little punk that can rewind time and change the outcome of things that have recently happened? That was the only Xanth book I hated.” Emily spat, “And we need to vamp the little creep? Get him to rewind whatever happened in there... And... then what?”

“Ohmygod, Fanfie like sends him back to wherever and we get on with like figuring out who's pulling the strings on all this junk.” Brit turned back to Miner, “Whenever you're like ready OM.”

Miner nodded and a transport circle opened on the wall, “Push yourselves through. The Chronal Energy Barrier makes it difficult but as long as you don't stop you'll make it. If nothing happens in the next ten minutes I'll send in help.”

Everyday Girl stepped onto the circle. Normally the transition through one of Outdoor Miner's circles was as effortless as walking through a doorway, simply step over the threshhold and enter the next room, no matter how far away that room was in the real universe. But this time it felt as if someone had 'saran wrapped' the doorway. Brit could see into Fanfic Lady's office but something invisible, but pliable, impeded her progress with a clinging softness that slowed her movements and prevented her from exiting the 'doorway.' She could feel Red Arrow behind her pushing against the same soft resistence. “How much further?” Emily's voice sounded tired, “Just a little bit, keep pushing!”

They broke through with a little pop sound effect just as Miner's transport circle faded away. “What would happen to us if we were still inside?” Emily asked quietly as she automatically took a defensive stance on Brit's right side. Both girls scanned the frozen scene in the room quickly. Lightning Lad lay face down in front of Fanfic Lady's desk. The right side of his head was a caved in, bloody mess. A petite but muscular girl was in the process of thrusting a slender knife into Fanfic Lady's throat. And behind that eerie still scene; an oddly dressed, dark eyed, young man stood quietly watching them.

“Who are you?” He asked quietly. “Where did the bug monster go?”

“Ohmygod! He's like not a monster...” Everyday Girl began only to be cut off by Red Arrow.

“You're a Magician. You can rewind time to control events. You can undo what's happened here,” Emily made a sweeping motion with her bow to indicate the scene at Fanfic Lady's desk. “Rewind it to before the girl attacks them. We'll take care of things from there.”

“What's in it for me?” His dark eyes flashed as he shot the question back at Red Arrow. “Why should I do anything? All I have to do is release my time freeze and walk out of here. I doubt you two girls could stop me.”

“You let Fanfie die... You'll probably die right with her,” Red Arrow replied. “She brought you here. Her power is what sustains you. She dies you go... POOF!”

An odd look crossed the young man's face. He turned slightly and studied Fanfic Lady's face for a second. Then he traced something neither Red Arrow nor Everyday Girl could see in the air between him and Fanfie. “You might be right.” He muttered at Red Arrow, “There is a magic line running from her to me. I can't take the chance.” He made an odd gesture and stepped back away from Fanfic's desk. “Stay Clear of the magic. Tell me when things have gone far enough backwards.”

The scene began to move slowly. The muscular girl pulled the knife out of Fanfie's throat and the wound closed behind the motion. Fanfie moved back into her chair as it came up from the floor to meet her. A silverale bottle filled with lead shot reassembled itself as Lightning Lad levitated in reverse from the floor to a chair. The bottle finished reassembling as LL head intersected it's arc in reverse and his crushed skull repaired itself. The bottle flipped through the muscular girl's hand and back onto a tray on Fanfie's desk. Lightning Lad watched with a slightly bemused look on his face as a cup of tea went back into the teapot.

“Stop!” Everyday Girl's voice rang loud and clear. “Nobody! No One! Take her down! Hard!”

The 18 inch tall versions of Cobalt Kid and Eryk Davis Ester appeared and swept the assasin's feet out from under her. Surprisingly she twisted and took the fall on her shoulder instead of hitting face first and kicked both of the figures away from her. She rolled and came up with the knife in one hand and leaped at Lightning Lad, slashing at his throat, only to be met by enough voltage to stun an elephant.

A half a second later the room was filled with LMBPers. Nobody noticed the oddly dressed dark eyed young man slipping out the back door...

Lash reached Fanfic's side as the Assassin hit the floor. His whip at the ready. His eyes scanning the room for anything out of place anything that might present a further threat. A half second behind him Sam Pureheart and Tony Broadneck began to set up their portable Med-Lab next to Fanfic's desk while Ram Boy and Caliente both rushed to Lightning Lad's side. Lightning Lad, however, was in no mood to be coddled, he brushed past Cali and Ram Boy and went down on one knee next to the unconscious assassin. He rolled her onto her back and began examining her.

“Sebastian,” He he motioned for Question Lad to join him, “if you read her will you absorb any compulsions she's under?”

Question Lad hesitates slightly, "Possibly, but I doubt it."

“Are you willing to take that risk?” L.L. Pointed to a dead man switch laying on the carpet next to 'Emily Dickenson's' open hand. “We need to know who sent her and what backup she has in place. Because something is on it's way.”

Sebastian glanced at the switch then removed the glove from his right hand and took the unconscious woman's hand in his. As he made full skin to skin contact his head bowed, his eyes closed and everyone in the room collectively held their breath. He stayed frozen in that pose for almost a full minute before shaking his head slowly and looking away from the woman. “We should kill her now, before she recovers from the shock.” He reached for the knife laying on the floor a few inches away from the body. But before he could grab it a gossamer energy web covered it and Sam's hand closed on his wrist. “Nuh-huh, Rich Boy, no sharp objects for you.”

“Yo, Baby Chief, you bring an evidence bag with you?” Arachne's rich contralto voice erupted as a small spider expanded into a dark haired beauty. Her energy web contracted lifting the knife from the floor. “Don't touch the blade, it's got sixteen different kinds of nasty smeared on it.”

Everyday Girl practically bounced to Arachne's side. “Ohmygod! Miss Bug Lady! I thought you were like on leave hunting giant flies or some junk like that.” She held out the requested evidence bag and Arachne carefully placed the knife into it.

“Let me go! You imbecile!” Sebastian struggled trying to pull his hand free from Sam's grip. “You don't understand how dangerous she is... We can't let her live!”

Lightning Lad watched Sebastian's struggles for a moment then turned to Arachne “'Rache could you web up our friend there?” He pointed to Emily Dickenson's prone figure. “I've got a feeling she's a suicide risk.” He then walked over to where Sam was holding Question Lad. “Sea Bass! Get a hold of yourself!” He extended a finger and a bright spark jumped from it to Sebastian's chest. He convulsed for a second then went limp in Sam's grasp. “It's okay, I can control it.”

“Sebbie? You okay?” Red Arrow asked while quietly glaring at Lightning Lad.

“I'm alright, Em. He just jolted me enough to let me regain control.” He looked up at L.L.. “Thanks, I would have killed her. Just a scratch from that knife would have been enough.”

“What can you tell us about her?” Fanfic Lady asked. “And more importantly, who hired her?”

“Yeah, I want to have a little talk with that dude,” Lash cracked his whip.

“Her name is Tannis Bourne and she really is from Taltar. But her mother had a falling out with Thora years ago so her family moved to Rimbor where she was recruited by Dark Oval operatives. She's a member of one of their top assassination for hire squads, code named Silent Death. They were hired by someone here on Legion World - she doesn't know who - to kill several specific members of the LMBP. She was assigned to Fanfic Lady, other members of the squad were assigned other targets. Interestingly, each target has a bounty. Fanfic is worth 500 Million Credits. Lightning Lad is worth a Billion Credits.”

“Who Else is on the list and how much are they worth?”

“Rockhopper Lad, 500 Million; Cobalt Kid, 500 Million; Lard Lad, 500 Million; Nightcrawler, a Billion, Saturn Girl, a Billion; Princess Crujectra, a Billion; Umber, Two Billion; and Kid Prime, a Trillion Credits.”

“How many assassins in the squad?”

“Ten, all with different abilities.”

“Did you say UMBER?” Lash's voice was incredulous. “Why would Umber be on that list? Who hired these assassins?”

“She doesn't know. She met him along with the others in her squad but somehow he erased specific memories of that meeting. She knows who the targets are and what they are worth, but not much else.”

“What about backups? Henchmen?”

“Maddrox Clones, somewhere between 7 and 10 thousand of them.”